An anthology of writings on exhibition practice from artists, critics, curators and art historians which address the contradictions posed by museum and gallery staged exhibitions, and the challenge of staging art presentations and displays.
This study focuses on the attitudes Germans have towards their art from the Romantic period to the present, and discusses the ways they have tried to find their identity as a nation through this art. Belting proposes that German art criticism is divided by opposing ideologies and contradictions.
"Art history after modernism" does not only mean that art looks different today; it also means that our discourse on art has taken a different direction, if it is safe to say it has taken a direction at all. So begins Hans Belting's brilliant, iconoclastic reconsideration of art and art history at the end of the millennium, which builds upon his earlier and highly successful volume, The End of the History of Art?. "Known for his striking and original theories about the nature of art," according to the Economist, Belting here examines how art is made, viewed, and interpreted today. Arguing that contemporary art has burst out of the frame that art history had built for it, Belting calls for an entirely new approach to thinking and writing about art. He moves effortlessly between contemporary issues—the rise of global and minority art and its consequences for Western art history, installation and video art, and the troubled institution of the art museum—and questions central to art history's definition of itself, such as the distinction between high and low culture, art criticism versus art history, and the invention of modernism in art history. Forty-eight black and white images illustrate the text, perfectly reflecting the state of contemporary art. With Art History after Modernism, Belting retains his place as one of the most original thinkers working in the visual arts today.
The 20th century was a revolutionary period in art history. In the span of a few short years, Modernism exploded into being, disrupting centuries of classical figurative tradition to create something entirely new. This astoundingly thorough survey of art's modern era showcases all of the key artistic movements of the 20th century, from Fauvism to Pop Art, featuring illustrative examples of some of the most renowned works of the era along with illuminating companion essays by expert critics and art historians. A vivid window into the collective psyche of the modern world's great artists, Art of the 20th Century is a must-have for any fan of contemporary art.