Sixth Form Recommended Reading

History OF Art

“ I saw an angel in the marble and carved until I set him free. ” Michelangelo

Mother’s House : The Evolution of Vanna Venturi ’ s House in Chestnut Hill by Frederic Schwartz The House that Robert Venturi designed for his mother and built in 1964 is arguably the most architecturally influential building of the second half of the twentieth century. In this book Robert Venturi, a world-renowned architect, reflects on this seminal building from a distance of over a quarter of a century.

He discusses why it ’s style and form, once so revolutionary, are accepted now. This book presents for the first time all of the developmental drawings that were executed to accompany the six stages of design. Also include are original constructions drawings, yellow tracing-paper drawings and photographs of the house including the series of models made for it.

A History of the World in 100 Objects by Neil MacGregor

Spanning an enormous range, A History of the World in 100 Objects begins with one of the earliest surviving objects made by human hands, a chopping tool from the Olduvai Gorge in Africa, and ends with an object from the 21st century which represents the world we live in today.

Neil MacGregor's aim is not simply to describe these remarkable things, but to show us their significance - how a stone pillar tells

us about a great Indian emperor preaching tolerance to his people, how Spanish pieces of eight tell us about the beginning of a global currency or how an early Victorian tea-set tells us about the impact of empire. This book takes a dramatically original approach to the history of humanity, using objects which previous civilisations have left behind them, often accidentally, as prisms through which we can explore past worlds and the lives of the men and women who lived in them.