“With its rich roster of art historians, critics, and curators, Contemporary Art: 1989 to the Present provides the essential chart of this new field. “
– Hal Foster, Princeton University
“Featuring a diverse and exciting line-up of international critics, curators and art historians, Contemporary Art: 1989 to the Present is an indispensable introduction to the major issues shaping the study of contemporary art.”
– Pamela Lee, Stanford University
“In Contemporary Art: 1989 to the Present, a new generation of critics and scholars comes of age. Full of fresh ideas, engaged writing, and provocative proposals about the art of the current moment and the immediate past, this book is sure to become the standard, ‘go to’ text in the field of contemporary art history.”
– Richard Meyer, author of What was Contemporary Art?
From the Inside Flap
The contemporary art world has expanded exponentially—in both size and complexity—over the last two decades, leading to a general uncertainty as to what matters and why. Contemporary Art: 1989 to the Present provides an unparalleled resource for students, artists, scholars, and art enthusiasts who are eager to navigate today’s art world. It is the first collection of its kind to bring together fresh perspectives from leading international art historians, critics, curators, and artists for a comprehensive discussion of what contemporary art is today.
Divided into fourteen thematic clusters, each section presents three essays that offer a kaleidoscope of lively and expert viewpoints on each topic. Topics include globalization, formalism, technology, participation, agency, biennials, activism, fundamentalism, judgment, markets, and art schools, and scholarship. These clusters organize material in distinct and overlapping ways, allowing readers to customize their approach to their needs.
With up-to-date research concerns as well as more enduring topics, this text will provoke lively discussion regarding contemporary art, its study, and its historiography. Contemporary Art: 1989 to the Present provides a much-needed examination of the unique contemporary situation, and an encapsulation of a complex intellectual zeitgeist.
From the Back Cover
The contemporary art world has expanded exponentially―in both size and complexity―over the last two decades, leading to a general uncertainty as to what matters and why. Contemporary Art: 1989 to the Present provides an unparalleled resource for students, artists, scholars, and art enthusiasts who are eager to navigate today’s art world. It is the first collection of its kind to bring together fresh perspectives from leading international art historians, critics, curators, and artists for a comprehensive discussion of what contemporary art is today.
Divided into fourteen thematic clusters, each section presents three essays that offer a kaleidoscope of lively and expert viewpoints on each topic. Topics include globalization, formalism, technology, participation, agency, biennials, activism, fundamentalism, judgment, markets, and art schools, and scholarship. These clusters organize material in distinct and overlapping ways, allowing readers to customize their approach to their needs.
With up-to-date research concerns as well as more enduring topics, this text will provoke lively discussion regarding contemporary art, its study, and its historiography. Contemporary Art: 1989 to the Present provides a much-needed examination of the unique contemporary situation, and an encapsulation of a complex intellectual zeitgeist.
About the Author
Alexander Dumbadze is assistant professor of contemporary art at George Washington University. He is president of the Society of Contemporary Art Historians and a cofounder of the Contemporary Art Think Tank. He has written essays for a number of international exhibition catalogues, and is a recipient of the Creative Capital| Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Grant. His book Bas Jan Ader: Death is Elsewhere is forthcoming in 2013.
Suzanne Hudson is assistant professor of contemporary art at the University of Southern California. She is president emeritus and chair of the executive committee of the Society of Contemporary Art Historians and a cofounder of the Contemporary Art Think Tank. In addition to her work as an art historian, she is an active critic whose work has appeared in international exhibition catalogues and such publications as Parkett, Flash Art, and Art Journal; she is a regular contributor to Artforum. In 2009 she published Robert Ryman: Used Paint, and Painting Now is forthcoming in 2013.
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