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Preface

The first edition of this book was part of a UNESCO transdisciplinary cultural program. Its style is deliberately casual and narrative; it is not a history book, but rather a collection of stories aimed at stimulating interest in the subject through dialogue.

The project deals predominantly with the visual arts. The first part, on architecture, is a general overview. Decoration, painting and graphic communication constitute the other main sections. Music and the performing arts are only dealt with in the context of their relationship with the visual arts. Literature is not included in this work. Given the vastness of the subject, the main focus is on Western culture, although numerous examples from other civilizations have been included. This new edition has been updated to reflect the dramatic changes in the fine arts driven by new scientific discoveries and new technologies.

A number of eminent personalities have supported this effort: René Berger, writer and honorary president of the arts department at the University of Lausanne; Jean Dausset, Nobel laureate in medicine and modern art connoisseur; Frank Popper, specialist in philosophical questions relating to art and technology; Ilya Prigogine, Nobel laureate in chemistry and author of books on aesthetics.

The text also received input from specialists in their respective fields: Marianne Clouzot, artist; Philippe Comar, artist and professor at the École Supérieure des Beaux-Arts; Françoise Gaillard, professor of philosophy at the University of Paris VII; Antoinette Hallé, curator of the Musée de la Céramique at Sèvres; Bruno Jacomy, engineer, associate director of the Musée des Arts et Métiers; Elaine Koss, deputy director of the Art College Association; Bernard Maitte, specialist in the history of science and knowledge; Sarah McFadden, art historian and an editor of Art in America.

This book would not have been possible without the generosity of those who lent their iconographic documents as a courtesy—artists, photographers, museums, librarians, publishers and corporations.

The author would like to thank Tereza Wagner and Michiko Tanaka who literally carried this project within UNESCO. She is immensely grateful to Donny, Serge, Muriel, and Josh for their unconditional support, and wishes to thank all those who contributed directly or indirectly to realize this project.

—Eliane Strosberg, December 2014