The classic work by English art historian Herbert Read (1893–1968), first published in 1959 and since then regularly reissued worldwide, reviews the main directions and trends in European and American painting from the late 19th to the 20th century.

Initially covering up to the 1950s, it was later supplemented with a chapter dedicated to the development of painting in the following decade, now published in Russian translation for the first time.

This edition is intended for art historians, cultural scholars, and anyone interested in the history of 20th-century art and culture.