The Contingent Object of Contemporary Art (Paperback)

by Martha Buskirk (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"...Buskirk surveys a range of artists through various thematic lenses."
— Patricia Briggs, Rain Taxi Review of Books

"The Contingent Object of Contemporary Art is an indispensable user's guide to the last forty years of art. Buskirk ably contends with the knotty legacies of conceptual art: in particular, the strange fact that 'almost anything can be and has been called art.' A patient critic, she takes the skepticism, and the curiosity, of art's audiences seriously, and makes a persuasive case for the historical coherence of a heterogeneous field of art."
—Mignon Nixon, Courtauld Institute of Art

"Buskirk examines questions of authorship, originality and the notably ephemeral object through specific examples."
— Joao Ribas, artnet.com

"To say, as many traditional modernists do, that art's meanings reside exclusively in its strict formal qualities and stated conventions begs many questions. Among them are how those conventions came into being and how they have evolved, why a material has been chosen and what its history was and its future might be, where the work is encountered and by whom, what social, political, and economic contexts impinge on our experience, and whether the work is permanent or intentionally mutable, ephemeral, or even perishable. With admirable clarity, Martha Buskirk asks all these questions and more of a wide range of situationally defined contemporary art, much of which was created expressly with the idea of making these factors visible and exploring their implications. The result is both an overview of a diverse array of conceptual and process-driven art since the 1960s, and an observation-based, jargon-free consideration of the basic issues raised by the recognition that more than ever before, our significance is not fixed but contingent by design."
—Robert Storr, Rosalee Solow Professor of Modern Art, Institute of Fine Arts, New York University

"[This] highly engaging book presents the 'greatest hits' of the sixties through the nineties as well-defined case studies."
— Gloria Sutton, Rhizome

Product Description
In this book, Martha Buskirk addresses the interesting fact that since the early 1960s, almost anything can and has been called art. Among other practices, contemporary artists have employed mass-produced elements, impermanent materials, and appropriated imagery, have incorporated performance and video, and have created works through instructions carried out by others. Furthermore, works of art that lack traditional signs of authenticity or permanence have been embraced by institutions long devoted to the original and the permanent.

Buskirk begins with questions of authorship raised by minimalists' use of industrial materials and methods, including competing claims of ownership and artistic authorship evident in conflicts over the right to fabricate artists' works. Examining recent examples of appropriation, she finds precedents in pop art and the early twentieth-century readymade and explores the intersection of contemporary artistic copying and the system of copyrights, trademarks, and brand names characteristic of other forms of commodity production. She also investigates the ways that connections between work and context have transformed art and institutional conventions, the impact of new materials on definitions of medium, the role of the document as both primary and secondary object, and the significance of conceptually oriented performance work for the intersection of photography and the human body in contemporary art.

Buskirk explores how artists active in the 1980s and 1990s have recombined strategies of the art of the 1960s and 1970s. She also shows how the mechanisms through which art is presented shape not only readings of the work but the work itself. She uses her discussion of the readymade and conceptual art to explore broader issues of authorship, reproduction, context, and temporality.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 315 pages
• Publisher: The MIT Press (April 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0262524422
• ISBN-13: 978-0262524421
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #102,540 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Useful and Current, June 30, 2004

By	m jones (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Contingent Object of Contemporary Art (Hardcover)

I just finished this book and i found it very good. The five chapters take specific topics such as: 'Medium and Materiality' and 'Context as Subject' and flesh them out in relation to a larger thesis on the idea of the 'contingent object.' Also i found it useful that when they mentioned artwork, they generally had a picture (B+W) of it (unlike some books which dont provide a picture or show a different piece altogether! ) A good overview of the interrelations between minimalism, performance, conceptual art and contemporary art. Asks lots of questions but doesn't attempt to answer them all (i find this useful, others may find it annoying) Recommeneded if you want to know more about some of the background for some contemporary art theory and practices. Good balance of female and male artists.

20 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Why you should buy this book, April 28, 2005

By	Chris Kitze (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Contingent Object of Contemporary Art (Hardcover)

In plain English, this book is one of the best ways to learn about Contemporary Art and understand the fundamental trends of installations, performance and cutting edge art today. My background: I never studied Art, but took classes in Philosophy/Aesthetics and have done a fair amount of commercial and fine art photography. The reading is very dense and this book covers a number of ideas that have driven contemporary art. Get out your reading glasses because the type is fine and it may take several reads to fully comprehend what is being said.

Examples of the artists covered include Janine Antoni, Felix Gonzales-Torres and many others who will no doubt influence generations of artists in the future. It's a hard read, but completely worth every minute -- buy this book -- I was extremely satisfied and still think about the concepts it contains often. I continue to send copies to friends who are trying to figure this out. It is not a stock item, so you may have to be patient.

You will not see modern art the same way after you read this enlightening book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars impressive, informative and user-friendly, January 5, 2009

By	Luca Graziuso (NYC) - See all my reviews

In The Contingent Object of Contemporary Art Martha Buskirk weaves an introductory survey that posits as its premise the question of "what is art" and "what criteria should be used to critique it". The book is written with such an ease of exploration that it is marketed to a seasoned audience but it instructs with an immediacy that is refreshing and enlightening. The boundless definition of art is surveyed and engaged through an exploration that is thorough and representative, leaving questions to the reader that allows for a continued meditative practice.
The critic here follows suit with more conventional readings, but does so only as a point of departure and delves into the dynamics of a dialogue that she sustains admirably and efficaciously.
Manipulation of concepts and theories is always given its due resonance, allusions to pop art is brought to the fore to better illustrate a changing landscape that has a foundational influx. Anyone who is interested in contemporary art should do well to pick up this study: they will undoubtedly become informed with a more adequate and formal framework to the questions art has posed in recent days and its overall impact on social, cultural and conventional paradigms.
For a more varied in-depth scholarly approach look into "The Lure of the Object."