Social History of Art, Volume 1, 3rd Edition

First published in 1951 Arnold Hausers commanding work presents an account of the development and meaning of art from its origins in the Stone Age through to the Film Age. Exploring the interaction between art and society, Hauser effectively details social and historical movements and sketches the frameworks in which visual art is produced.

This new edition provides an excellent introduction to the work of Arnold Hauser. In his general introduction to The Social History of Art, Jonathan Harris asseses the importance of the work for contemporary art history and visual culture. In addition, an introduction to each volume provides a synopsis of Hausers narrative and serves as a critical guide to the text, identifying major themes, trends and arguments.

“Unrivalled in its scope and ambition, Arnold Hausers classic study is a critical contribution to the development of the history of art as a discipline. If today the boundaries of the discipline seem more permeable, more open to scholarship in other fields that they were when Hauser wrote, it is in no small measure due to his pioneering effort i - The Social History of Art. Hausers extraordinary energy and subtlety wave a brilliant synthesis of the interaction between the aesthetic and societal, giving us at one and the same time a wealth of artistic detail and a consistent and fully elaborated exposition of the social process. The new edition of Hauser assumes a fresh appearance and this rejuvenation is considerably facilitated by the illuminating introductions of Jonathan Harris who establishes the original historical and cultural context of the work. His informative and richly nuanced introductions to each volume constitutes a synthesis worthy of Hauser himself. - Albert Boime, UCLA, author of The Social History of Modern Art, 1750-1989 Hausers work repays reading because it was and remains the only comprehensive scholarly synthesis of the history of art from the perspective of historical materialism. Harriss introductions to each volume - dealing with Hausers aims, principles, concepts and terms are extremely useful. His fair-minded introductions enable the reader both to understand and to evaluate the current debates within art history and cultural studies. This edition should bring Hausers thought to the attention of a new generation of readers. - Whitney Davis, Professor of Art History at Northwestern University As much a work of intellectual history as art history, Hausers work remains unparalleled in its scope as a study of the relations between the forces of social change and western art from its origins until the middle of the 20th century. Hausers work is invaluable for those who search for tools to forge connections between the apparent meaning of artistic works and the deeper social issues that drive their production. - Johanna Drucker, Professor of Art History, State University of New York”

'Arnold Hausers Social History of Art - a very important and under-appreciated text.' - Whitney Davis, John Evans Professor of Art History, Northwestern University

'It is no exaggeration to say that more than any other work Hauser's four volumes inspired my interest in art history.' - Alan Wallach, Ralph H Wark Professor of Art History, College of William and Mary

'This work has great value in a contemporary context. I look forward to seeing what Jonathan has done with the introduction, but I cannot think of anyone better suited to the task.' - Johanna Drucker, Professor of Art History, Yale University

Hausers extraordinary energy and subtlety wave a brilliant synthesis of the interaction between the aesthetic and societal, giving us at one and the same time a wealth of artistic detail and a consistent and fully elaborated exposition of the social process. - Albert Boime, UCLA, author of The Social History of Modern Art, 1750-1989

Arnold Hauser

First published in 1951 Arnold Hausers commanding work presents an account of the development and meaning of art from its origins in the Stone Age through to the Film Age. Exploring the interaction between art and society, Hauser effectively details social and historical movements and sketches the frameworks in which visual art is produced. This new edition provides an excellent introduction to the work of Arnold Hauser. In his general introduction to The Social History of Art, Jonathan Harris asseses the importance of the work for contemporary art history and visual culture. In addition, an introduction to each volume provides a synopsis of Hausers narrative and serves as a critical guide to the text, identifying major themes, trends and arguments.

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