Stefan Sagmeister. Now it's better

This book is a kind of overview of Stefan Sagmeister’s artistic-educational project, within which he presents real data on the development of our civilization in recent decades and centuries through the deconstruction and reinterpretation of works of past art. These pieces, accompanied by the author's comments and reflections, have a noble purpose: to counteract the negativity spread by the media to attract public attention and emphasize that, despite all the hardships and suffering, humanity is steadily moving toward longer, healthier, and happier lives year after year.

Here’s how Stefan Sagmeister himself declares his intent:

"If we look at human progress from a long-term perspective, most aspects of our lives have improved significantly. Fewer people are starving, fewer people are dying in wars or from natural disasters, and more people than ever before live in democratic countries and, in addition, live much longer.

Two hundred years ago, nine out of ten people couldn’t read or write, and now only one in ten can’t.

A lot of things are moving in the right direction, although for many years the media have been telling us the opposite. At the time of publication, we are still recovering from a global pandemic, monkeypox is lurking around the corner, war is raging in Europe, and many countries are suffering from the negative consequences of climate change. We are more likely to find solutions to these problems by recognizing past successes rather than from a place of doom and gloom.

I am a designer. My work can be described as exploring complex subjects, choosing key directions, and transforming them into something understandable for a wide audience.

And I will try."