Understand Contemporary Art

A straightforward guide to contemporary art Whether you love or loathe it, contemporary art is bound to trigger a reaction. Understand Contemporary Art delves deep into the art scene, exploring different forms including painting, scultpture, installation and video art. The key personalities, galleries and themes are discussed in detail as well as controversial competitions like the Turner Prize. Whether you are studying for a course of just want to be able to develop your own informed opinions on contemporary art, this straightforward guide will give you what you need. Understand Contemporary Art includes: Chapter 1: Introduction: contemporary art and aesthetics - theories of art making Chapter 2: The prehistory of contemporary art - Defining terms - The neo-avant-garde - Reading contemporary art Chapter 3: Contexts for contemporary art - The march of history - Money makes the art go round - Reality isn't what it used to be Chapter 4: Forms of contemporary art - Painting, mixed media and sculpture - Photography - Film, video and digital media - Performance - Installation - Land and environmental art Chapter 5: Themes and issues in contemporary art - Gender, sex and abjection - Politics, difference and the global - Popular culture, the media, celebrity and consumerism Chapter 6: Displaying and buying contemporary art - Contemporary art and the market - buying art - Displaying contemporary art - Honouring contemporary art - contemporary art awards Learn effortlessly with a new easy-to-read page design and interactive features: Not got much time? One, five and ten-minute introductions to key principles to get you started. Author insights Lots of instant help with common problems and quick tips for success, based on the author's many years of experience. Test yourself Tests in the book and online to keep track of your progress. Extend your knowledge Extra online articles to give you a richer understanding of the subject. Five things to remember Quick refreshers to help you remember the key facts. Try this Innovative exercises illustrate what you've learnt and how to use it.