Plop: Recent Projects of the Public Art Fund [Paperback]

Jeffrey Kastner (Author), Anne Wehr (Author), Tom Eccles (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2004

Features projects by forty-five internationally acclaimed artists whose installations in New York City were made possible by the Public Art Fund. It examines the deverse ways in which artists have created a participatory experience of contemporary art in public spaces. Art Fund.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Tom Eccles has been Director of the Public Art Fund since 1996. Anne Wehr is Communications Director of the Public Art Fund. Jeff Kastner writes regularly about contemporary art for The New York Times, ArtNews and other publications.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Merrell Publishers (May 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1858942470
• ISBN-13: 978-1858942476
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 9.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,579,703 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars IS IT ART? YES, IT IS., July 5, 2004

By 

Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Plop: Recent Projects of the Public Art Fund (Paperback)

If someone told you that there was an exhibition of plop art at your local museum, would you rush over to see it? Probably not. But, you should because plop art is some of the most exciting, innovative art to be found.

The name "plop art," which is sometimes used in a pejorative manner, refers to public art that is not considered to have any relation to its surroundings. In other words, it's "plopped" there. What a wonderful surprise that can be! Have you seen Jeff Koon's huge puppy made of flowering plants in Rockefeller Center? You can't help but smile.

For a quarter of a century buildings, plazas, parks, and streets in New York City have been the recipients of amazing art installations, all thanks to the Public Art Fund, an organization that enthusiastically supports contemporary art.

"Plop: Recent Projects of the Public Art Fund" presents projects by 45 internationally acclaimed artists whose works now decorate New York City. Among the artists included are Vito Acconci, Louise Bourgeois, Martin Creed, Dan Graham, Kim Sooja, Jeff Koons, Mariko Mori, Takashi Murakami, Paul Pfeiffer, Brian Tolle, and many more.

A discussion of the pros and cons involved in making contemporary art for the public is also found in this 256 page volume boasting 500 illustrations.

- Gail Cooke

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Overview of Public Art Fund's Recent Projects, August 15, 2004

By 

John Kwok (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Plop: Recent Projects of the Public Art Fund (Paperback)

"Plop" is an extensive, if not truly comprehensive, look at the New York City-based Public Art Fund's recent projects of public contemporary art in media ranging from light to performance. It includes memorable work by distinguished artists such as Louise Bourgeois, Jeff Koons (his famous flower puppy at Rockefeller Center), Mariko Mori (Her UFO spaceship "docked" indoors in the Madison Avenue building adjacent to 5th Avenue's Trump Tower.), Takashi Murakami (An assemblage of aliens depicted on balloon sculptures in Rockefeller Center with its roots in Japanese anime and probably William Gibson's cyberpunk fiction too.), and Nam June Paik (a dazzling laser light show and sculpture at Rockefeller Center). It also includes work by up-and-coming conceptual/performance artist and sculptor Anissa Mack, whose "Pies for a Passerby", a kitschy Americana performance piece, received some curious national and international attention two years ago (An astute blog columnist wrote a well-reasoned essay back then arguing that this work was not art; I believe it is still posted on the internet.). Notably absent is the sculpture installation by the late George Segal, the distinguished sculptor noted for his realistic papier mache sculptures of ordinary people doing ordinary things - and I might add, a fellow alumnus of Stuyvesant High School - exhibited late last year near Central Park's Grand Army Plaza (southeast corner of the park, across the street from the Hotel Pierre). While the Public Art Fund's aims are truly admirable, much of its work on display tends to be too whimsical (e. g. work by Koons, Mack and Mori, to name but a few). As such it lacks the gravitas I've seen in excellent work by such prominent Tucson, Arizona artists as painters Robert Colescott, James G. Davis, Alfred Quiroz and Jim Waid, photographers Harold Jones, Joe Labate and Frances Murray and last, but not least, performance artist, sculptor and poet Ned Schaper (aka Mat Bevel).