Art: 21 - Art in the 21st Century - Hardcover

Storr, Robert; Golden, Thelma

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0810913976 ISBN 13: 9780810913974

Publisher: Harry N. Abrams, 2001

Synopsis

The companion volume to a new PBS television series on the contemporary visual arts explores the work of some of the leading artists working in America today and examines such issues as how artists address sexual or racial identity in their work and the impact of transnationalism and cyberspace on creativity.

About this title

Review:

What if work by 21 prominent contemporary artists could be described in terms of familiar topics rather than specialized mumbo-jumbo? That was the idea behind Art: 21: Art in the Twenty-First Century. Each of the four essayists takes one topic--place, spirituality, identity, or consumption--as the launching point for discussions of a varied group of American artists. Produced to accompany a PBS television series, this amply illustrated book embraces art ranging from the sexually charged sculptures of Louise Bourgeois (born in 1911) to paintings by Michael Ray Charles (born in 1967) that rework black stereotypes into ironic commentaries. The artists are certainly worthy, and it's no big deal that the art is nearly all from the 20th century (not, as the title suggests, the 21st). But the thematic approach works better for some artists than for others, and the effort to be inclusive makes for vague and awkward writing. --Cathy Curtis

About the Author:

Robert Storr is senior curator of painting and sculpture at the Museum of Modern Art, New York.
Thelma Golden is deputy director for exhibitions and programs at the Studio Museum of Harlem, New York.
Katy Siegel is assistant professor of art history at Hunter College, New York.
Lynn M. Herbert is senior curator at the Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston.

About this edition

• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0810913976
• ISBN 13: 9780810913974
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 216