This spirited and challenging book presents dialogues between eminent art historians on current topics and dilemmas in the field. The essays consider world art of all periods, covering ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, preconquest Mexico and Peru, Islam, China, Japan, Renaissance and baroque Italy, 18th- and 19th-century France, and the United States in the 20th century and today.

The authors propose new readings as they challenge traditional systems of classification; interpret monuments in terms of their interaction with their environments; redefine the Italian Renaissance in light of the new vernacular sensibility that emerged in the Trece...