Great Sphinx : beyond human understanding --

Tomb of Tutankhamun : politics, ethnic pride, hornets, a dead canary, and a curse --

Parthenon sculptures : Lord Elgin and how Greece lost its marbles --

"Apollo Belvedere" : the rise and fall of the "Apollo Belvedere" --

"Nike of Samothrace" : the victory of the staircase --

"The Birth of Venus" by Botticelli : nothing is forever, not even neglect --

"Mona Lisa" by Leonardo da Vinci : you never know what a smile can do --

"Sistine Madonna" by Raphael : the most perfect picture in the world --

"The Burial of Count Orgaz" by El Greco : a touch of madness goes a long way --

"Aristotle Contemplating a Bust of Homer" by Rembrandt : fame available for a price --

"Washington Crossing the Delaware" by Emanuel Leutze : or perhaps, "Washington Crossing the Rhine" --

"Luncheon on the Grass" by Édouard Manet : success through scandal --

"The Thinker" by Auguste Rodin : fame has its consequences --

"The Starry Night" by Vincent van Gogh : lost in a starry night --

"The Scream" by Edvard Munch : scream, indeed --

"American Gothic" by Grant Wood : all-American gothic --

"Migrant Mother" by Dorothea Lange : the power of the press --

"Guernica" by Pablo Picasso : travels with "Guernica" --

"Campbell's Soup" by Andy Warhol : Mmm Mmm Good --

Vietnam Veterans Memorial by Maya Lin : The triumph of abstraction.

Foreword; Acknowledgments; Introduction; Chapter 1. The Great Sphinx: Beyond Human Understanding; Chapter 2. The Tomb of Tutankhamun: Politics, Ethnic Pride, Hornets, a Dead Canary, and a Curse; Chapter 3. The Parthenon Sculptures: Lord Elgin and How Greece Lost Its Marbles; Chapter 4. Apollo Belvedere: The Rise and Fall of the Apollo Belvedere; Chapter 5. Nike of Samothrace: The Victory of the Staircase; Chapter 6. The Birth of Venus by Botticelli: Nothing Is Forever, Not Even Neglect; Chapter 7. Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci: You Never Know What a Smile Can Do

Chapter 8. Sistine Madonna by Raphael: The Most Perfect Picture in the WorldChapter 9. The Burial of Count Orgaz by El Greco: A Touch of Madness Goes a Long Way; Chapter 10. Aristotle Contemplating a Bust of Homer by Rembrandt: Fame Available for a Price; Chapter 11. Washington Crossing the Delaware by Emanuel Leutze: Or Perhaps, Washington Crossing the Rhine; Chapter 12. Luncheon on the Grass by Édouard Manet: Success through Scandal; Chapter 13. The Thinker by Auguste Rodin: Fame Has Its Consequences; Chapter 14. The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh: Lost in a Starry Night

Chapter 15. The Scream by Edvard Munch: Scream, IndeedChapter 16. American Gothic by Grant Wood: All-American Gothic; Chapter 17. Migrant Mother by Dorothea Lange: The Power of the Press; Chapter 18. Guernica by Pablo Picasso: Travels with Guernica; Chapter 19. Campbell's Soup by Andy Warhol: Mmm Mmm Good; Chapter 20. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial by Maya Lin: The Triumph of Abstraction; Notes; Index; About the Author