Art Today: A Guide to International Art [Hardcover]

Edward Lucie-Smith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1995

This text is an illustrated survey of movements in world art since 1960. The Modern Movement - unchallenged for the previous six decades - has lost its dominance, but has not been replaced by any single new orthodoxy. Artists, critics and the public alike are now confronted by a situation of unprecedented variety and complexity. Lucie-Smith's earlier "Art Today" was a survey of post-war art. This revised edition reflects the changes that have swept across the art world since 1960, challenging all the old assumptions and certainties. As he reviews the new work worldwide, his central argument is that the art world is no longer hierarchical but plural, and that its structures - if they exist at all - are provisional. He charts the progress of contemporary developments and points out their sources and interrelationships. The work of nearly 500 outstanding contemporary artists is analyzed and illustrated in colour.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This massive survey attempts to essay the scope and aims of the art of the world over the past 30 years. Noted critic Lucie-Smith (American Realism, LJ 12/94) has done an admirable job in making sense of the welter of "isms" that exist in contemporary art. He has also brought the coverage right up to the present, with many of the movements illustrated dating from 1995. As well as such well-trod ground as Pop Art, Lucie-Smith covers Conceptual Art, Installation Art, and Neo-Expressionism. He also covers a broad geographic range, including artists and works from the former Soviet Union, Africa, the Far East, and Latin America. Chapters are also included on "Racial Minorities" and "Feminist and Gay" art. Clearly written and with copious illustrations, the book offers brief biographies of all artists mentioned, a chronology, and bibliography. This essential guide to contemporary art is highly recommended for subject collections.?Martin R. Kalfatovic, Smithsonian Inst. Libs., Washington, DC
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Lucie-Smith, author most recently of American Realism , is a prolific, insightful, and innovative interpreter of modern art. Here he braves the turbulence of contemporary art, that is, art since the 1960s. This has been an era of unprecedented experimentation and diversity, or, as Lucie-Smith writes, "the richest, most controversial and perhaps most thoroughly confusing epoch in the whole history of the visual arts." This complexity has inspired a daunting number of hyphenated terms, from "neo-dada" to "neo-Expressionism," but Lucie-Smith runs this linguistic obstacle course with a minimum of jargon, much savvy, and genuine enthusiasm. Beginning with pop art and moving through a half-dozen painting styles, performance art, and sculpture, Lucie-Smith profiles key artists from all over the world, bringing many women artists and artists of color in from the sidelines to center stage. He has also selected superb examples of each artist's work, all of which are reproduced in brilliant color. A monumental undertaking executed with consummate skill. Donna Seaman

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 512 pages
• Publisher: Phaidon Press; Revised edition (September 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0714832014
• ISBN-13: 978-0714832012
• Product Dimensions: 11.6 x 9.9 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #418,036 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Clear summary and pictures of contemporary art, August 2, 2001

By 

timothy Fisher (Grand Rapids, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Art Today (Paperback)

Better than a coffee table book(but works for that too), ARTODAY contains several features that make it desirable. The first of these being nice large clear examples - pictures. The representations of work are varied and important, the "who's who" and "must know" of the art world from 1960 on. Secondly, the writings on the work are, like the pictures, clear and to the point; expressing the concept and/or contexts of the artists or works susinctly. Finally, the artist/works/concepts have been organized into 18 catagories from "Land Art, Light and Space, Body Art" and "The Survival of Abstraction" to "The Far East". This ordering tends to contain the great variety of works by themes thus making very clear developments and interests of contemporary artists. Having clear images, text, and catagories together in this way make for a table book that is actually interesting to look at and read.

This would be a very good book for those who are interested in a general overview of contemporary art, but don't have time or resources to go in depth. For example, I personally am considering this to be one of several texts for a upper level studio art class; believing the students lacking art history credits will greatly benefit from its overview. While I feel some important artists were overlooked and it is heavily "western" it does a significantly better job than most books of its kind.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the master work on modern art., April 1, 2000

By 

sam, park (KOREA, SEOUL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Art Today: A Guide to International Art (Hardcover)

I am a big fan of mordern art. There are many books on modern arts around the world. But my favorit book on modern art is the ARTODAY. This is book is extremely well made and fun to read(well written reviews on each artists and their works). It contains so many interesting works of modern art on many different medias. Modern arts are usually hard to be seen from museums or galleries. but If you have this this book, you wouldn't have to worry about that. It is amazing how many and different art works and artists are covered in this book. I am totally in love with this book. if you think you like modern art, this is the book that you must buy.......trust me....

5.0 out of 5 stars A very useful book., October 27, 2011

By 

Juan Elizalde Ch "JCElizalde" (Guayaquil, Ecuador) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Art Today (Paperback)

The compilation of artists and artworks are great. Big book, pretty well designed and full of images. Being a book from 1999, is still very useful in 2011. If you are really interested on contemporary art, you should have this book. Is a great investment.