Civilizing Rituals: Inside Public Art Museums (Re Visions : Critical Studies in the History and Theory of Art) [Paperback]

Carol Duncan (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0415070120 | ISBN-13: 978-0415070126 | Publication Date: June 11, 1995

Illustrated with over fifty photos, Civilizing Rituals merges contemporary debates with lively discussion and explores central issues involved in the making and displaying of art as industry and how it is presented to the community.

Carol Duncan looks at how nations, institutions and private individuals present art , and how art museums are shaped by cultural, social and political determinants.

Civilizing Rituals is ideal reading for students of art history and museum studies, and professionals in the field will also find much of interest here.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Duncan balances her reading of the museum as economically motivated and culturally specific sign with a theoretically promising investigation of ritual and liminality in the gallery context.
–Parachute

Civilizing Rituals is a significant addition to art museum bibliography.
–Academics on Display

About the Author

Carol Duncan teaches art history at Ramapo College of New Jersey. She is well known as one of the pioneers of a new social-political approach to art history and criticism and has been one of the strongest feminist voices in the ``new art history''. Her essays have been collected in The Aesthetics of Power (1993). --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Routledge (June 11, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415070120
• ISBN-13: 978-0415070126
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #142,719 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #49 in Books > Education & Reference > Catalogs & Directories > Directories

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Informative and Easy to Read, June 4, 2000

By 

Robin N. Keller (Vernon, New Jersey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Civilizing Rituals: Inside Public Art Museums (Re Visions : Critical Studies in the History and Theory of Art) (Paperback)

Dr. Duncan's books discusses the history of art museums and focusses in on some notable, present day museums. Her approach combines the traditional art historian view with a sociological view. Art is not created in a vacuum and reflects the society it lives within. Duncan's approach gives us insight into why some artwork is accepted while other artwork is not.

This book was required reading in my undergraduate studies. It is one of the few I choose to have in my personal library as well.

Carol Duncan's book is small in size and easy to read. However, just because of its ease and size, don't mistake its value to art history. It is well researched and well edited. It is short, sweet and to the point. Too bad other art history books cannot be like that.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Informative, Easy To Read, June 4, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Civilizing Rituals: Inside Public Art Museums (Re Visions : Critical Studies in the History and Theory of Art) (Paperback)

Dr. Duncan's book was required reading in my undergraduate studies. She writes from two angles - first, being the traditional fine arts view, and second, a sociological view. Art is not created in a vacuum and is directly affected by the society it lives in. There is a value to looking at art from this combined point of view. You have a clear picture why some art is considered valuable, while some is not.

Carol Duncan's book delves into the reasons why we have art museums and then focusses in on some notable museums of today. The small book is an easy and quick read. However, its relative ease and small size does not mean it does not inform. It is well researched and well edited. It is short, sweet and to the point. Too bad more art history books are not like that.

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Covering a breadth of subject matter, April 2, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Civilizing Rituals: Inside Public Art Museums (Re Visions : Critical Studies in the History and Theory of Art) (Paperback)

This book was mandatory reading for a university art history class. As far as required readings go, it was easily comprehensible to a general audience. The only flaw was that at first glance it appeals to an art-minded audience. Yet then it actually converses in the sociological jargon, which could put off some readers.