Product Description

This book fully documents the 1960s Land Art movement as well as surveying later examples of environmental art to the present day. Earthworks, environments, performances and actions by artists ranging from Ana Mendieta, Robert Smithson or Walter de Maria in the 1970s-80s to Peter Fend and Mierle Laderman Ukeles in the 1990s are all illustrated with breathtaking photographs, sketches and project notes. They are accompanied by documents which chart the ideas, their critical reception and the broader philosophical and cultural context which framed them.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #420741 in Books
• Published on: 2005-03-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

From Library Journal
If ever a series could elucidate the many forces active in contemporary art, it is Phaidon's "Themes and Movements." Divided into three major sections beginning with a survey by cultural critic and curator Brian Wallis, the book defines land and environmental art and places it in a broader context. The second section, presented by critic and editor Kastner, contains classic examples of work starting in 1947 with a maquette by Isamu Noguchi and ending with a 1996 proposal by Mark Dion. Each work is illustrated chronologically with expanded captions noting intention, process, and exhibition history. The last section is loaded with articles, reviews, and artists' statements that directly support both the survey and the works. A book like this is badly needed to consolidate a subject that has often been scattered into many categories; here Smithson, De Maria, and Christo appear alongside Ukeles, Mendieta, and Chin. Some of the artists are more conceptual while others are more sculptural, but nearly all have taken their work outside the museum setting. A virtual tour of an exhibition that spans more than four decades and thousands of miles; highly recommended for academic and large public libraries.ASusan M. Olcott, Columbus Metropolitan Lib., OH
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

An excellent collection and commentary!
This book should be a permanent reference for all artists including photographers and architects. The timelessness of the projects reflects the timelessness of the book itself. The diversity of projects and their ideas makes a remarkable statement about art and its boundaries.

Good survey of the Land Art movement in its context
There are more, and better, images in the Taschen Land Art books, but this is the best source for a serious discussion of the importance and place of the art movement.

Themes and Movements
This Themes and Movements series of books is an excellent one for the neophyte as well as the
expert.