This popular textbook serves as a lively and stimulating introduction to methodological debates in art history. Offering a lucid account of approaches from Hegel to postcolonialism and decolonialism, it provides a sense of art history’s own history as a discipline, from its emergence in the late-eighteenth century to the present day.

By explaining the underlying philosophical and political assumptions behind each method and providing clear examples of how these are brought to bear on visual and historical analysis, the authors show that adherence to a certain method is, in effect, a commitment to a set of beliefs and values. The book makes a strong case for the vitality of the discipline and its methodological centrality to new fields such as visual culture. This second edition has been updated to cover the latest developments in gender studies, decolonialism and global art.