Painting for Money: The Visual Arts and the Public Sphere in Eighteenth-Century England (Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in Britis)

A distinctly modern art world emerged in eighteenth-century England. The period witnessed the establishment of the first public spaces for the display of works of art, widespread discussion of artistic issues, and the rise of an art market responsive to the tastes of a large and diverse audience. This lavishly illustrated and engagingly written book discusses these phenomena, showing how major developments in English painting went hand in hand with rapid economic expansion, and how the sudden light of public exposure transformed pictorial theory and practice.