In this broad cultural survey of self-portraiture, art historian and critic James Hall brilliantly maps the history of the genre, from the earliest myths of Narcissus and the Christian tradition of bearing witness to the prolific self-image-making of todays contemporary artists. His vivid account shows how artists depictions of themselves have been part of a continuing tradition that reaches back for centuries. Along the way he reveals the importance of the medieval mirror craze; the explosion of the genre during the Renaissance; the confessional self-portraits of Titian and Michelangelo; the role of biography for serial self-portraitists such as Courbet and van Gogh; themes of sex and genius in works by Munch, Bonnard and Modersohn-Becker; and the latest developments of the genre in the era of globalization The full range of self-portraits is covered here, from comic and caricature self-portraits to invented or imaginary ones, as well as key collections of self-portraiture such as that of the Medici in Florence. Throughout, Hall asks why and when artists have chosen to make self-portraits, and looks deeply into the worlds and mindsets of the artists who have created them. Comprehensive and beautifully illustrated, the book features the work of a wide range of artists including Alberti, Caravaggio, Courbet, Dürer, Emin, Gauguin, Giotto, Goya, Kahlo, Koons, Magritte, Mantegna, Picasso, Raphael, Rembrandt and Warhol. Offering a rich and lively history, The Self-Portrait is an essential read for all those interested in this most enduringly popular and humane of art forms. James Hall is an art historian, lecturer and broadcaster, and is a visiting research fellow at the University of Southampton. Formerly chief art critic of the Guardian, he contributes to publications including The Times Literary Supplement, Guardian, Wall Street Journal and Art Newspaper. Hall is the author of critically acclaimed books including The World as Sculpture: The Changing Status of Sculpture from the Renaissance to the Present Day and The Sinister Side: How LeftRight Symbolism Shaped Western Art.

詹姆斯·霍尔（James Hall）是一位艺术史学家、演讲家和播音员。他还是南安普敦大学的客座研究员。他在伦敦考陶尔德艺术学院取得硕士学位，在剑桥大学取得博士学位。他曾担任《周日通讯》和《卫报》的首席评论员，并在许多出版物上发表过作品，包括《卫报》、《华尔街日报》和《艺术报》。霍尔还出版了包括《世界如雕塑：从文艺复兴到现在雕塑地位的改变》和《阴暗面：左右象征主义是怎样定义西方艺术的》等在内的四本广受好评的书。