ART AND SPIRIT OF PARIS, THE VOL 1,2

All the arts--painting, sculpture, architecture, urban design, interior design, graphic design, photography, film, fashion, the theater, and opera--have played a role in creating the enduring spirit of Paris. From a primitive village huddled on an island in the middle of the Seine, Paris rose to glory as a medieval and Renaissance center for art, as the cradle of the Enlightenment, and as the crucible of modern art and architecture. It remains a world center of innovation in art, architecture, and design, and one of the most thoroughly pleasurable of all modern cities. Assembled under the editorial direction of Michel Laclotte, former director of the Musee du Louvre, and with the participation of outstanding scholars on both sides of the Atlantic, 'The Art and Spirit of Paris' spans more than 6,000 years of cultural history. In two volumes, comprising nine insightful and wide-ranging chapters, and with approximately 1,500 illustrations, the authors chronicle the history of the visual arts in Paris, tracing their evolution and that of the social systems that supported them.