The Anti-Aesthetic: Essays on Postmodern Culture [Paperback]

Hal Foster (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1565847423 | ISBN-13: 978-1565847422 | Publication Date: April 1, 2002

A handsome new edition of the seminal collection of late-twentieth-century cultural criticism. Named a Best Book of the Year by the Village Voice and considered a bible of contemporary cultural criticism, The Anti-Aesthetic is reissued now in a handsome new paperback edition. For the past twenty years, Hal Foster has pushed the boundaries of cultural criticism, establishing a vantage point from which the seemingly disparate agendas of artists, patrons, and critics have a telling coherence. In The Anti-Aesthetic, preeminent critics such as Jean Baudrillard, Rosalind Krauss, Fredric Jameson, and Edward Said consider the full range of postmodern cultural production, from the writing of John Cage, to Cindy Sherman's film stills, to Barbara Kruger's collages. With a redesigned cover and a new afterword that situates the book in relation to contemporary criticism, The Anti-Aesthetic provides a strong introduction for newcomers and a point of reference for those already engaged in discussions of postmodern art, culture, and criticism. New afterword by Hal Foster; 12 b/w photographs.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A Best Book of the Year. -- The Village Voice

Essential. -- Glyn Banks, Studio International

[M]ay have initiated the rising wave of books that both criticize modernist art and take new critical approaches to art in general. -- Vantage Point

[P]robably the most useful, serious and rewarding anthology of its kind. -- Art in America

About the Author

Hal Foster is Townsend Martin class of 1917 professor of art and archaeology at Princeton University where he directs the Gauss Seminars in Criticism.

Product Details

• Paperback: 183 pages
• Publisher: New Press, The (April 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565847423
• ISBN-13: 978-1565847422
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #49,801 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Accessible and Comprehensive, April 24, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Anti-Aesthetic: Essays on Postmodern Culture (Paperback)

The majority of the essays are well-written in an approachable rhetoric that can be understood by a reader with relatively limited knowledge of the subject-matter. It also serves as a concise anthology of essays written by some of the leading critical thinkers in this area, making this both an excellent introductory book as well as a collection worthy to be on the expert's shelf.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Worth the read., March 23, 2006

By 

Aaron Vague - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Anti-Aesthetic: Essays on Postmodern Culture (Paperback)

This is a collection of essays that relate to contemporary art and concepts of postmodernism. Hal Foster (who wrote the acclaimed "Return of the Real") served as an editor for this book, although the writing itself is more diverse. There are a number of notable contributors represented, with a number of differing takes on art and culture post 1990's.
The most interesting articels in my opinion deal with "sculpure's expanded fields" (by Rosalind Krauss) and diverse gender and political issues. These essays express the sense that definitions and distinctions are blurring and fluid in postmodern society, which is a common theme throughout the book. The writing also frequently addresses discources outside of the art world, which is another element of the expanded roles of art and theory.
The writing can be a little dry at times, but overall I think it's worth the read, and a great reference for postmodern philosophy.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Hit or Miss, with Few Hits, October 18, 2011

By 

Paul Buonaguro - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Anti-Aesthetic: Essays on Postmodern Culture (Paperback)

Out of the nine essays in this book, only the contributions of Fredric Jameson and Edward Said are worth reading. Jameson speaks authoritatively on Star Wars and Body Heat, maintaining a high level of analysis on popular culture concepts. Said provides a fitting bookend, as he considers the problem that marks all the other authors in the book (except Jameson, whom he rightfully praises): namely, that they write for an increasingly small audience of their fellows, bound by the walls of their disciplines and separated from political life. He impliedly bashes the preceding authors, who deserve such a bashing, as their contributions range from pedantic to unintelligible. Baudrillard's "The Ecstasy of Communication" is not as bad as some of the essays by his less luminous fellow authors, but it is particularly cosmic and incoherent. Overall, this book is not worth reading.