Product Description

Covering the entire 20th century, this text traces the roots of conceptual art to movements such as Dada, explaining its importance in the 1960s and 1970s and showing that it is still alive today. In 1917 Marcel Duchamp signed the name R. Mutt on a urinal and placed it in a gallery. Even the most strident modernists refused to accept this object as a work of art, however, Duchamp stuck to his guns, claiming that he had chosen the urinal as an art object so it must be art. Such arguments over the nature of art still continue today. Tony Godfrey sees the archetypal work of Conceptual Art as a question and a proposition joined together: "What is Art? This could be Art." This text seeks to demystify the subject by placing the art in its social and political context.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #58789 in Books
• Published on: 1998-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 448 pages

Customer Reviews

a truly conceptual phenomenon
Like conceptual art, this book itself provides the reader with an equally conceptual read. 11 chapters, equally books in themselves provides an interesting, informative and critical read bringing topics of not just conceptual art but key figures, movements, politics, music, questions and issues within society over an extensive timeline!
No matter where your taste in art lies this book is a true must buy!

excellent
I am an A level student studying Art and Design and am looking to go on to a foundation course in the same thing before going on to study a relaterd course @ uni, and I have to say that this book has been a great help to me. It is packed full of useful background info for any artist studying conceptual art and will give you an excellent boost to your ideas.
Although being quite a difficult book to read through what you get out of it in the end is worth it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!