Art of Colonial Latin America

by Gauvin Alexander Bailey

A lively account of the interaction between European and indigenous artists that took place during more than 300 years of Spanish and Portuguese colonial influence in Latin America (c.1492-1820). The book offers a fascinating insight into viceregal, missionary and civic architecture, as well as painting, sculpture and such 'minor arts' as furniture, textiles and ceramics. This is a long-awaited book on an increasingly popular subject and includes many previously unillustrated works

"Wide-ranging and handsomely illustrated... Plunges the reader into profoundly alien cultures that produced beautiful, often awesome artworks."-Independent

"Lively and strking."-The Times

"The bargain of the year, crammed with original research, but priced as a general interest book... A lucid, fascinating and beautifully illustrated account of the spectacular results of creative fusion between the vibrant visual cultures of South America and European baroque art. A book which opens up a little-known world."-Jane Stevenson, novelist, The Observer

"Seldom can so much original research, fresh information and illustrations of so many unfamiliar works of art have appeared in a reasonably priced, mass-market paperback... It is a considerable achievement to have surveyed such a vast range of material from such a rich and various region in a single volume... This book, at a popular price, represents a remarkable bargain. Buy it and discover a new world hitherto all but closed to the Anglophone reader."-The Tablet

"Warmly recommended to all teachers and students of the history of early modern art and architecture... The accessible text and generous number of well-presented illustrations also reveal the 'staggering variety of media' practised in Latin America... Contributes to a rapidly growing consensus that the arts of Latin America, and the world, existed in the early modern period as they do now, not just in a dualistic diaologue between 'us and them', but in a complex interconnectedness."-Rodney Palmer, University of East Anglia, The Art Book

On the Art & Ideas series

"Art & Ideas has broken new ground in making accessible authoritative views on periods, movements and concepts in art. As a series it represents a real advance in publishing."-Sir Nicholas Serota, Director, Tate London

"The format is wonderful and offers what had long been missing in academic studies: usable manuals for specific themes or periods... I am definitely not alone in welcoming Art & Ideas as a precious set of teaching tools."-Joachim Pissarro, Yale University

"Phaidon's series may prove to be the pick of the crop. It boasts expert but undogmatic texts and a wealth of illustrations."-The Sunday Telegraph