Millions of people visit the Louvre Museum in Paris every year to gaze and gawk at its all-star art collection. But there’s one star who gets a lot more attention than anyone else—and her very own waiting system, if you can believe it! Well, the Louvre’s many other masterpieces aren’t too happy about being overshadowed—and they’re here to tell everyone what makes them just as worthy of the Mona Lisa’s teeming crowds.
With a focus on portraits and other person-centered artworks, Mona Lisa and the Others reveals the stories behind some of the Louvre’s most famous pieces. Napoleon Bonaparte takes readers behind the scenesat his own coronation; the Venus de Milo explains what happened to her missing arms; the Seated Scribe lets slip some gossip about the ancient Egyptian royal family. And of course, Mona Lisa reveals that there’s more to her portrait than her mysterious smile …
Written in a light-hearted and contemporary style by Alice Harman and illustrated with the energetic artwork of Sir Quentin Blake, Mona Lisa and the Others is an entertaining introduction to the Louvre’s collection that will appeal to children, parents, and teachers from all walks of life.
Reviews
"Using colloquial language…the artworks dish on their histories, artists’ techniques (defining technical terms), and more. Blake’s quirky drawings embellish the text… Helpful guidance before a museum visit.
— Kirkus Reviews
Alice Harman has written frisky, idiomatic entries to make it seem that the artworks are speaking for themselves… This is an appealing book, especially given Quentin Blake’s delightful drawings… 'Mona Lisa and the Others' [has] a lot to offer, with its array of paintings and sculptures beyond the Italian celebrity with the enigmatic smile.
— The Wall Street Journal
Contributors
Alice Harman
Author
Alice Harman has written more than forty books for children, including the highly acclaimed Modern Art Explorer, and developed the award-winning Why is Art Full of Naked People?
Quentin Blake
Illustrated By
Sir Quentin Blake is an internationally celebrated illustrator, known for his collaborations with authors such as Roald Dahl, Russell Hoban, John Yeoman, David Walliams, and Joan Aiken. A winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal and the Hans Christian Andersen Award, he received a knighthood in 2013 and was awarded France's Legion d'Honneur in 2014.