Masters & Pupils

This book traces the way art in Europe was taught, from one generation to the next, from 1480 to 1880. The book reveals how the nature and methods of artistic instruction changed over the centuries, from the guild system and the individual workshop to the academy, to the establishment of state institutions dedicated to the purpose, as exemplified in France. With Manet, the succession came to a halt, marking the beginning of the modern art world, in which the very desirability of teaching art has been thrown into question.