The discovery of magnificent ancient bronze sculptures that spent millennia on the seabed and emerged unscathed is just one factor to have fed the continued fascination with this prized artistic medium. This sumptuous book examines bronze’s earliest beginnings in North Africa, the Middle East, and China, celebrating its durability and variability. Leading authorities chart the virtuosity of artists working with bronze in ancient Greece and Rome; showcase bronze’s great flowering in the European Renaissance through the work of such artists as Ghiberti, Donatello, Cellini, and, later, Giambologna; and examine bronze’s use in the late 19th century through the modern era by artists ranging from Rodin, Boccioni, Picasso, Johns, Giacometti, and Moore to Beuys and Bourgeois. Lavish color plates of over 150 masterworks provide a unique testament to the works of art that one medium has inspired from antiquity to the present day. Praise for Bronze: “May well be the most beautiful book published anywhere in the world this year. Impeccable essays by [Royal Academy of Arts] curator David Ekserdjian and others make for enjoyable reading, but the breathtaking photography and creative layout of more than 150 color plates really make this volume sparkle. One is treated to a tour of bronze craftsmanship through the ages, from Renaissance masters like Ghiberti, Donatello, and Benvenuto Cellini to modern innovators like Picasso, Giacometti, and Louise Bourgeois—with side glances at the wonders of the Far East and the achievements of West Africa’s Benin culture. It’s a feast for the eyes and not too hard on the pocketbook.” —The Wall Street Journal