Reviews

The Madman's Gallery: The Strangest Paintings, Sculptures and Other Curiosities from the History of Art by Edward Brooke-Hitching

coco_lolo's review

4.0

This was so cool! I love learning about art: the history of artists and their works, how people respond to various movements, and the way it comments on society. What's even better is learning about the weirder parts. My two notes of critique would be that much of the last section on modern art felt rather rushed through, and that this gallery could have been even more diverse: there weren't enough examples of Asian, African, and Indigenous artists and traditions.

aphonusbalonus's review

5.0

(ARC exchanged for honest review via NetGalley) Anyone who dare calls art history ‘boring’ should read this book. It was a beautiful, fascinating recollection of some of the strangest works of art in the world’s history, crossing the continents of Africa and Europe and Asia and the Americas. This was incredibly well-thought out and researched and it was clear the author had so much fun while writing each of the pieces about the various artworks. I cannot recommend this book more— even if it’s just to look at the pictures, which are as delightful as they are strange.

steamy_earl_of_grey's review

informative lighthearted medium-paced

4.0

litwtchreads's review

5.0

 Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for this ARC! This book was deeply fascinating and filled with interesting and often little-known art. Starting from around 30,000 BC(E), all the way to the modern day this book provides a great background on the art that is outside of the mainstream and does a wonderful job of discussing the background and history of each concept/object in this book. I found this book a wonderfully entertaining and informative read and I recommend this to any art lovers or history buffs out there.