100 masterpieces of painting : from Lascaux to Basquiat, from Florence to Shanghai

From the cave paintings of Lascaux to the graffiti art of Jean-Michel Basquiat, from the iconic works of the Italian Renaissance to the calligraphy of Asia, from Taipei to New York, Oslo to Cairo, and museums all over the world, Michel Nurisdany, tireless traveler and art world familiar, proposes an exceptionally dynamic history of painting. Precise, acute, and clear, his writing serves as a road map, signposting how to appreciate the uniqueness of each artist and to understand the themes at play in each work.

« A selection like this is often dominated by one particular theme. What I wanted to do was to present a history of painting that is not confined to the Western world, but wide open, stretching as far afield as Chinese painting, which by its very nature - being writing, poetry, and painting all at the same time - chimes perfectly with the globalization which has such a big influence on our lives today.

Discover the one hundred masterpieces in this imaginary museum, a museum conceived with tradition and modernization in mind, with rediscovery of heritage and openness to the world - and not forgetting pleasure, the most important aspect of all. »
Michel Nuridsany