Art history and art travel guides
Learn to read art, one work at a time.
Most art writing gives you too much or too little. The Art Newbie gives you the part that matters: what you are looking at, why it was made, and what to notice when you stand in front of it. Every term is explained, and nothing is called unmissable unless it is.
Everything on this page has a guide.
The two sections
Two ways in
Art History
The story of art, one question at a time.
Periods, works and ideas in plain English. Every term is explained the first time it appears, so you can start anywhere.
Art Travel
Where the art is now, and how to see it well.
The museums, the monuments and the routes, with how long you need and what to look at first.
Recently added
All guides Latest guides
New YorkThe Met: 15 Ancient Works Not to Miss in 2 Hours
A two-hour route to fifteen ancient works at the Met, from Perneb's tomb to the Temple of Dendur and Boscoreale.
New YorkNew York’s Art Museums: Which Ones Are Worth Your Time?
The Met, MoMA, the Guggenheim and Brooklyn: which New York art museums deserve your time, and how to plan them.
LondonBritish Museum: 15 Objects Not to Miss in 2 Hours
A two-hour route to fifteen objects not to miss at the British Museum, from Egypt to Sutton Hoo.
LondonLondon’s Free Museums: Which Are Worth Your Time?
London's free museums for art lovers: which are worth your time, which can wait, and how many days to allow.
RomeEtruscan Day Trip From Rome: Cerveteri or Tarquinia?
Tombs built like houses or tombs painted inside? How to choose between Cerveteri and Tarquinia for a day from Rome.
RomeVilla Giulia: 10 Etruscan Works Not to Miss
Rome's Etruscan museum in ten works, from the Sarcophagus of the Spouses to the gold sheets of Pyrgi.
RomeAre the Vatican Museums Worth It? A Half-Day Plan
Yes, if you choose: a half-day route through the Vatican Museums to the Sistine Chapel, with the stops worth making.
Rome