Art History Painting

Over a long, turbulent life, Picasso continually discovered new ways of seeing the world and translating it into art. A restless genius, he went through a blue period, a rose period, and a Cubist phase. He made collages, sculptures out of everyday objects, and beautiful ceramic plates. True Kelley's engaging biography is a wonderful introduction to modern art.

In Who Stole Mona Lisa?, author Ruthie Knapp crafts a fascinating look at the disappearance of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa from the Louvre in 1911—retold from the point of view of the painting. Mona Lisa gets millions of visitors from all over the world. But one night, she hears footsteps, and before she knows it, she’s ripped right off the wall of the Louvre! Who would do such a thing?

Frida Kahlo, one of the world's most famous and unusual artists, is revered around the world. Her life was filled with laughter, love, and tragedy, all of which influenced what she painted on her canvases.

Jean-Michael Basquiat and his unique collage-style paintings rocketed to fame in the 1980s as a cultural phenomenon unlike anything the art world had ever seen. But before that he was a little boy who saw art everywhere: in poetry books and museums, in games and in the words that we speak, and in the pulsing energy of New York City. Now, Javaka Steptoe's vivid text introduces young listeners to the powerful message that art doesn't always have to be neat or clean - and definitely not inside the lines - to be beautiful.

As a child, Andy loved to draw. He took classes at the Carnegie Museum of art, where his teacher told the class,"everything you look at has art." In college many teachers didn't appreciate Andy's understanding of art. He annoyed them by doing things his own way - like by cutting a painting into four parts and submitting it as separate assignments. But later, his unique approach would lead to people everywhere reevaluating their ideas.

Rod Brown and Julius Lester bring history to life in this profoundly moving exploration of the slave experience. From the Middle Passage to the auction block, from the whipping post to the fight for freedom, this audiobook presents not just historical facts, but the raw emotions of the people who lived them. Inspired by Rod Brown's vivid paintings, Julius Lester has written a story that places each of us squarely inside the skin of both slave and slave owner. It will capture the heart of every listener, black or white, young or old.