Includes index.

First published: 2022.

First marks -- The story unfolds -- The illusion of life -- Copycats -- Paths to the afterlife -- Art embraces religion -- Storm clouds gather -- The art of propaganda -- Masons, Moai and materials -- The Renaissance begins -- Northern lights -- A matter of perspective -- East meets West -- The return of Rome -- Fire and brimstone -- Here come the barbarians -- The reign in Spain -- The theatre of life -- New ways of seeing -- The lie of the land -- Still life and life stilled -- Rococo escapism and London life -- The Royal Academy: Home and away -- Liberty, equality, fraternity? -- Romanticism to Orientalism -- Reality bites -- The Impressionists -- Artists take a stand -- The Post-Impressionists -- Standing on the shoulders of giants -- Ripping up the rule book -- Art becomes political -- Land of the free? -- The aftermath of war -- American art comes of age -- Sculpture breaks the mould -- We don't need another hero -- A postmodern world -- Go large or go home -- Art as resistance.

"Roaming from Japan and India to South America and the Middle East, Charlotte Mullins showcases a host of overlooked artists, and celebrates art's crucial place in our collective culture. This Little History introduces us to extraordinary anonymous creations such as the Terracotta Army, Renaissance masters like Donatello and Michelangelo, and modern trailblazers like Frida Kahlo, Barbara Hepworth and Yayoi Kusama."-- Publisher