"I thought it might be helpful to share a list of art history and criticism books for those who are interested in the subject and don’t know where to start. I’ve read as many books as I could on the subject of Western art these last few years (in and outside of school) and the following include the books that I’ve enjoyed and learned from the most (and find myself frequently recommending):"

• Ways of Seeing, John Berger
• Portraits: On Artists, John Berger
• The Story of Art, E.H. Gombrich
• Painting and Sculpture in Europe 1980-1940, George Heard Hamilton
• The Philosophy of Modern Art, Herbert Read
• Concerning the Spiritual in Art, Wassily Kandinsky
• Lives of Artists (Volumes I & II), Giorgio Vasari
• Against Interpretation & Other Essays, Susan Sontag
• Art as Therapy, Alain de Botton
• History of Beauty, Umberto Eco
• Art Through the Ages, Helen Gardner
• Art Objects: Essays on Ecstasy & Effrontery, Jeanette Winterson
• History of the Renaissance, Walter Pater