"In this powerful and hopeful account, arts writer, curator, and activist Kimberly Drew reminds us that the art world has space not just for the elite, but for everyone"-- Provided by publisher.

What is a masterpiece? At the most basic level, a masterpiece is a quintessential work by a great artist. This magnificent volume details the development of art from the beginning of recorded civilization into the twentieth century, presenting essential works of art from across the world, both East and West, in more than 110 full-color reproductions.

"Kat Lind, an American expatriate living in London with her entrepreneur husband and their young son, attends an opening at a prestigious Mayfair art gallery and is astonished to find her own face on the walls. The portraits are evidence of a long-ago love affair with the artist, Daniel Blake. Unbeknownst to her, he has continued to paint her ever since. Kat is seduced by her reflection on canvas and when Daniel appears in London, she finds herself...

"A young boy passes a painting of a hand on a wall in his neighborhood and watches others placing their own hands against it. The act means something different for each of them: Ms. Iris tells him it is a link to her home country; for Devin, it connects him to his older sister, who just left for college; for Savannah, it reminds her of her grandmother who passed away. The boy thinks of those who are on the other side of the mural, of loved ones lost...

"A dazzling insider look at the contemporary art world and the meteoric rise and fall of the seductive, charismatic, utterly amoral young, American art dealer, Inigo Philbrick, told through the eyes of his former partner and set in London, New York, Miami and Vanuatu Orlando Whitfield and Inigo Philbrick met in 2006 at Goldsmiths University where, though total opposites, they became best friends. By 2007, they were art dealing together having formed...