Shortlisted for the Information Book Awards 2023

Come on an eye-catching adventure!

Masterpieces in Pieces takes you on a journey through great art from all around the world and across the ages. Some of the masterpieces are famous, some may surprise you. Explore the themed galleries or just plunge in anywhere and enjoy the visual feast.

From early cave paintings to Grayson Perry, see the exciting developments of art throughout history and look for connections that can be made across each masterpiece. This truly global collection will widen the eyes to many different cultures and approaches to art from across Europe, North and South America, Africa, Asia and Australia.

Features artwork by Kerry James Marshall, Georges Seurat, John Singer Sargent, Francisco de Goya, Su Hanchen, Andreas Gursky, Diego Rivera, Natalia Goncharova, Rembrandt, Cristovao Estevao Canhavato, Faith Ringgold, Pablo Picasso, Ford Maddox Brown, Farrukh Beg, Dorothea Tanning, Zheng Zhong, Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Henri Matisse, Vincent Van Gogh, Franz Marc, Emily Kame Kngwarreye, Wassily Kandinsky, Alice Neel, and many, many more.

Find out how to look at and take great art to pieces - and decide for yourself what makes a masterpiece.

"I love this book. For anyone at any age who is as obsessed with the nuances of art history as I am, this book is for you, inspiring, fascinating, and thought-provoking, this book is your personal archaeologist, gently revealing new ways to see and look at art."
Russell Tovey, actor


"The wide and refreshing choice of artworks, the focus on revealing often surprising details and the lively and informative commentaries throughout, make this an essential book for any art-loving family."
Louisa Buck, writer, and broadcaster


"Zoom in and take art apart! This book focuses in on areas of surprising storytelling and amazing skill. How and why art is created has been made visible through loving inspection of some wonderful art works. This is a totally enjoyable book for children but also for parents, enabling conversations about ideas pictured in art."
Bob & Roberta Smith RA, artist


"Fun, engaging, and beautifully illustrated. Masterpieces in Pieces is a totally inspired way of looking at art history - I wish it had existed when I was young!"
Jonathan Baldock, artist

"This is a lovely book that looks at art from many angles. It is infinitely clever and knowledgeable, and at the same time innocent, in the best way."
Matthew Collings, artist, writer, and broadcaster

About the Author
Ingrid Swenson MBE is a curator and writer. From 1998 to 2021 she was the director of acclaimed arts organisation, PEER, whose ethos is to present the highest quality art as part of everyday life. She has commissioned and presented the work over 150 UK-based and international artists over her long career, including Martin Creed, Raymond Pettibon, Mike Nelson, Siobhan Hapaska, Fiona Banner and more recently Jade Fadojutimi, Samson Kambalu and Lubna Chowdhary. She is passionate about communicating visual art's ability to connect people and ideas across cultures, generations, and geographies. Mary Auld is a writer of children's information books, working over a broad range of subjects. She has been actively involved in music from an early age, both singing and playing the flute, on an amateur basis. She loves making music in a group, be that in an orchestra or a choir. Whether making music or writing children's books, her aim is to share her enthusiasm and inspire readers. Mary Auld is a pen name for Rachel Cooke, who is an honorary fellow of the English Association, in recognition of her editorial work in children's non-fiction.


Book Information
ISBN 9781526314949
Author Ingrid Swenson
Format Hardback
Page Count 128
Imprint Wayland
Publisher Hachette Children's Group
Weight(grams) 880g
Dimensions(mm) 298mm * 246mm * 16mm