Art and Architecture of Sicily

Julian Treuherz

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English

Lund Humphries
07 June 2023

Art and Architecture of Sicily is the first book to cover the rich artistic heritage of Sicily from prehistory up to the late 20th century. Sicily’s strategic position in the centre of the Mediterranean led to settlement or conquest by a succession of different peoples – Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Muslims, Normans, Germans, French, Spanish – each one leaving its traces on Sicilian culture.

The book provides a chronological survey, each section opening with a brief historical overview which is followed with an authoritative and engaging account of the development of the period’s art and architecture. The leading architects, artists and stylistic currents are all discussed and outstanding individual buildings and works of art are analysed, some famous, others which may be unfamiliar to readers. While architecture is the principal starting point for the understanding of each period, paintings and sculpture are treated in some detail; archaeology, urban development, patronage and decorative arts are also covered.

The development of art and architecture in Sicily not interpreted as a story of artistic conquests, but as one of acculturation and creative transformation. The author instead reveals that successive layering of different cultures, and the way each one interacted with its predecessors produced art and architecture quite distinct from anywhere else in Europe. He thus challenges the commonly held view that Sicilian art and architecture is provincial and derivative, merely imitating the art of others.

By: Julian Treuherz
Imprint: Lund Humphries
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 250mm, Width: 190mm, Spine: 27mm
ISBN: 9781848226043
ISBN 10: 1848226047
Pages: 336
Publication Date: 07 June 2023
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Julian Treuherz is an art historian who was Keeper of Art Galleries for National Museums Liverpool between 1989 and 2007. He has written many books, articles and exhibition catalogues, and over the last twenty years he has spent part of each year in Sicily studying its art and architecture.