Drawing Now: Eight Propositions [Hardcover]

Laura Hoptman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2, 2002

From John Currin's old-master-style Playboy bunnies to Elizabeth Peyton's fin-de-si cle portraits; from Julie Mehretu's dizzying, multilayered architectural landscapes to Shahzia Sikander's multipatterned miniature ones; from Yoshitomo Nara's angry and enigmatic little girls to Kara Walker's stereotypical negresses; and from Barry McGee's caricatures of urban graffiti to Matthew Ritchie's cosmological diagrams--drawing is back, if it ever went away. In contrast to the digitized, multimedia direction that much of contemporary art has taken in the past decade, drawing has become a major and arguably parallel mode of expression for many of today's most important young artists. Drawing Now, published to accompany the first major survey of contemporary drawings at The Museum of Modern Art, New York, in 15 years, contains more than 100 color reproductions of work by 26 international artists, both well-known and emerging, that demonstrate the fascinating variety of methods and approaches, mediums and scales, apparent in this old-again, new-again art. Accompanying essays by the exhibition's curator, Laura Hoptman, explore eight themes that she perceives in the field--Drafting & Architecture, Mental Maps & Metaphysics, Popular Culture & National Culture, Fashion, Likeness & Allegory, Envisioning a City, Science & Art, Comics & Other Subcultures, Ornament & Crime--and provide key impulses behind drawing's recent resurgence.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Laura Hoptman is Curator of Contemporary Art at the Carnegie Museum of Art, a post that includes the organization of the 2004 Carnegie International. She previously served as Assistant Curator in the Department of Drawings at The Museum of Modern Art, New York, where she was responsible for exhibitions of work by Ricci Albenda, John Brock, Maurizio Cattelan, and Rirkrit Tiravanija. She recently published a monograph on the artist Yayoi Kusama.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: The Museum of Modern Art, New York (October 2, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0870703625
• ISBN-13: 978-0870703621
• Product Dimensions: 12.7 x 9.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #277,212 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars a decent and wholly predictable show/book, July 30, 2003

By 

Matt Jones "Matt Jones" (Brooklyn, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Drawing Now: Eight Propositions (Hardcover)

None of the decisions in this show were very difficult to make. All of the current stars in the drawing/painting world are present (John Currin, Kara Walker, Elizabeth Peyton, Kai Atoff, etc.) and the work they've offered is mediocre. That is not to say the work is bad by normal standards, they are the best of the contemporary scene for a reason: they're good. But, looking at each artist's best work, none of this is it. The essays are kind of hokey and embarrassing (in a bad way). The book is worth buying if you want to seem like you're "with it" when it comes to contemporary art, or if you are a student (such as myself, forever) and need it for research purposes to aid your own studio practice.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Provocative Survey, November 2, 2006

By 

Denise Johnson "lonebiker" (Ontario, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Drawing Now: Eight Propositions (Hardcover)

The catalogue that accompanies the Drawing Now exhibition held at the Museum of Modern Art is just as well thought and carefully crafted. The show is divided into eight themes that bring a solid foundation to a wide scope of works. Each section in the catalogue begins with an insightful essay further developing the rich ideas behind the show. The beautiful illustrations and large format of the book further compliment the important artworks included in the exhibition.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars At the top, February 6, 2007

By 

David Wicks - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Drawing Now: Eight Propositions (Hardcover)

Drawing Now does a good job of critically displaying the work of many contemporary artists. Unlike Vitamin D, this book does not take a shotgun approach to viewing contemporary art, and as a result is more satisfying to behold. Not all the artists represented have great work, but you get quality reproductions of it, and worthwhile commentary on each of the thematic "propositions" in the book. Worth buying if you have the money. Worth renewing your library's copy if you don't.