The Aesthetic Animal by Henrik Høgh-Olesen (Aarhus U., Denmark) is the best book I've ever read on the evolutionary origins of art. Incredibly concise. Required reading for anybody interested in beauty.
Henrik Hogh-Olesen is Professor of Social & Personality Psychology at the Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, University of Aarhus, Denmark. He has published 13 academic books and more than 100 articles, published works of fiction and drama, is an expert on behavioral & evolutionary psychology, and has studied humans, apes, and monkeys in naturalistic and experimental settings.