Art historian Lucie-Smith offers an authoritative look into the lives of 100 world-renowned artists and an eclectic cast of celebrities who have influenced the cultural landscape of the modern era. Chronologically divided into 24 chapters, the volume is illustrated with representative works and photos of the artists. Each section highlights the most influential artists of a specific period or movement, e.g., the Fauves, Cubism, Bauhaus, Abstract Expressionism, and American Pop Art. The last chapter, on the "artist, not the artwork," considers individuals whose lives and work are uniquely intertwined, such as Louise Bourgeois, Joseph Beuys, Yves Klein, Eva Hesse, and Jean-Michel Basquiat.

Towards the modern --Fauves -- Nabis -- Cubism -- Futurism -- German expressionism -- Vienna sezession -- Ecole de Paris -- Russians -- Dada -- Metaphysical painting -- Surrealism -- Bauhaus -- New objectivity -- Mexicans -- America between the wars -- England between the wars -- Abstract expressionism -- Post-war Europe -- Heirs of abstract expressionism -- American neo-dada -- British pop art -- American pop art -- Artist not the artwork.