"In the splendid tradition of Kenneth Clark's Civilisation and Jacob Bronowski's The Ascent of Man, here is a magnificent account - authoritative, lively, richly and beautifully illustrated - of the hundred-year history of modern art. Written by one of the most widely read and respected art critics of our time as an outgrowth and expansion of his major eight-part BBC/Time Life television series, it recounts the origins of modern painting, sculpture, and architecture; discusses the careers of the major artists; shows how their work was shaped by the cataclysmic events of the new century; makes plain why modernism has today very nearly run its courses - and does all this with verve, command of anecdote and scholarship, and a critical poise that is nothing short of dazzling." -- from interior cover flap. Includes 261 color and black-and-white illustrations. Also includes index and bibliography.