Product Description

This popular anthology of twentieth-century art theoretical texts has now been expanded to take account of new research, and to include significant contributions to art theory from the 1990s.

• New edition of this popular anthology of twentieth-century art-theoretical texts.
• Now updated to include the results of new research, together with significant contributions from the 1990s.
• Includes writings by critics, philosophers, politicians and literary figures.
• The editors provide contextual introductions to 340 texts.
• Complements Art in Theory 1648-1815 and Art in Theory 1815-1900 to create a complete survey of the theories underpinning the development of art in the modern period.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #36550 in Books
• Published on: 2002-10-29
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 1288 pages

Review
"Occasionally one comes across a book that is at once compelling and frightening, a book that excites and disorientates, a book with intimations of the sublime. Art in Theory is such a book. An indispensable source book." (Arlis News-Sheet)

From the Back Cover
Since it was first published in 1992, this book has become one of the leading anthologies of art theoretical texts in the English-speaking world. This expanded edition includes the fruits of recent research, involving a considerable amount of newly-translated material from the entire period, together with additional texts from the last decades of the twentieth century.

The features that made the first edition so successful have been retained:

• The volume provides comprehensive representation of the theories which underpinned developments in the visual arts during the twentieth century.
• As well as writings by artists, the anthology includes texts by critics, philosophers, politicians, and literary figures.
• The content is clearly structured into eight broadly chronological sections, starting with the legacy of symbolism and concluding with contemporary debates about the postmodern.
• The editors provide individual introductions to each of the 371 anthologized texts.

Material new to this expanded edition includes texts on African art, on the Bauhaus and on the re-emergent avant-gardes of the period after the Second World War. Post-modernist debates are amplified by texts on gender, on installation and performance art, and on the increasing globalization of culture.

About the Author
Charles Harrison is Professor of History and Theory of Art and Staff Tutor in Arts at the Open University. He is the author of numerous books on modern art criticism and art theory.

Paul Wood is Senior Lecturer in Art History at the Open University. He is co-editor, with Charles Harrison and Jason Gaiger, of Art in Theory 1648–1815 (2001) and Art in Theory 1815–1900 (1998).

Customer Reviews

A valuable reference book
Had I read the reviews about this book, I wouldn't have bought it.
I had to though, for my "Art: Language and Theory" class, in my second year of Graphic Design major. I was shocked with it at first, it's almost 1300 pages, with not a single image in it! It looked extremely dull. But the thing is, I found it extremely useful, and enjoyable to read at times too. It covers art theories in the 20th century, and has texts written by artists, philosophers, polticians and much more.
I now refer to it with every paper I write, every presentation I make and so on. There are also letters and notes in the book by artists such as Cezanne and Matisse, which are delightful to read. I use a dictionary sometimes, but not always, though I agree, the language is hard to comprehend at first glance.
I don't think any art student or teacher could do without this book, I used it as a beginners guide while studying art, and I won't stop using it. Don't be put off when you first get this book, you'll learn to value and appreciate it with little time.

Good Overview
I used this book for a graduate theory class and ended up reading pretty much all of it. The book provides an excellent overview of the major movements during the past 100 years but also misses out on a lot of the most current trends. I believe there were less than 3 articles dated after 1999. The writings seem to be obscure at times, with the editors trying to draw distant similarites between varying fields. Most of the passages used overly pretentious language, so keep a dictionary nearby. This book is not a beginner guide and it helps to have some knowledge of art history as well as a little world history. A better or easier read would have to be "Theories and Documents of Contemporary Art"...

A book of diverse opinions
The subtitle to this book is "An Anthology of Changing Ideas", which is remarkably accurate. The excerpts in this book run the ideological spectrum from Winston Churchill to Adolf Hitler, and everyone in-between. The assembly of so many artists, politicians, philosophers, and theorists in one place has had a profound impact on my understanding of particular artworks, and my relationship to art in general. It's an intimidating book, but somehow this diverse group of thinkers is organized in a way that could be read straight through. Personally, I find it to be an invaluable tool for research and artistic growth.