Art Firsts review: History of art in 30 paintings | Books | Entertainment

To quote the old cliché, I know nothing about art but I know what I like. This book was an education.

Nick Trend has curated a collection of art firsts to explain the art world.

Everyone has heard of van Gogh and Rembrandt but do you know what the first marital breakup was in art? Or what was the first erotic nude?

Trend explains in a series of themes and all are explained with the first example of – first nightmare, first mirror image, first lightning effect, first visible brush and many more.

Who painted the first self-portrait? It was Jan van Eyck in 1433 and it’s in the National Gallery in London.

Jan Mostaert in the early 16th century painted the first portrait of a black person. It is only 12¼ inches high and features someone historians think is called Christophe le More, a bodyguard to the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V.

All in all, a highly recommended book.