Alan Bowness (1928–2021)

This book does not pretend to contain illustrations of all the artwork in the Tate's collections, but instead gives a kind of art history lesson. The focus is on 1)The British Collection (15th thru 19th centuries), and 2) The Modern Collection (the 20th century).

Gauguin is not one of my faves. I don't know quite know what he's trying to do. paint women, paint women in costume, have sex with his models, have models who are very young?

Discusses the Impressionistic and Post-Impressionistic art movement; it's influences and developments. Includes biographies, color plates, drawings and sculpture.

A good summary of the development of European art from Manet to the late 1950s. Suffers slightly from the monochrome reproductions; a Rothko on black and white doesn't really work. Coverage of sculpture is somewhat erratic (Jacob Epstein is mentioned only in passing, for example), but otherwise fairly comprehensive.