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University of California Press

Theories and Documents of Contemporary Art

A Sourcebook of Artists' Writings (Second Edition, Revised and Expanded by Kristine Stiles)

by Kristine Stiles (Author), Peter Selz (Author)
Price: $34.95 / £30.00
Publication Date: Sep 2012
Edition: 2nd Edition
Title Details:
Rights: World
Pages: 1168
ISBN: 9780520257184
Trim Size: 7 x 10
Illustrations: 163 b/w photographs
Endowments:

About the Book

First published in 1996, this irreplaceable resource has now been updated, revised, and expanded by Kristine Stiles to represent thirty countries and more than one hundred new artists. Stiles has added forty images and a diverse roster of artists, including many who have emerged since the 1980s, such as Julie Mehretu, Carrie Mae Weems, Damien Hirst, Shirin Neshat, Cai Guo-Qian, Olafur Eliasson, Matthew Barney, and Takashi Murakami. The writings, which as before take the form of artists' statements, interviews, and essays, make vivid each artist's aesthetic approach and capture the flavor and intent of his or her work. The internationalism evident in this revised edition reflects the growing interest in the vitality of contemporary art throughout the world from the U.S. and Europe to the Middle East, Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Australia.

About the Author

Kristine Stiles is France Family Professor of Art, Art History, and Visual Studies at Duke University. She is the author of the forthcoming books Concerning Consequences of Trauma in Art and Society and Correspondence Course, An Epistolary History of Carolee Schneemann and Her Circle.

Peter Selz (1919–2019) was Professor Emeritus of Art History at the University of California, Berkeley. His many books include Art of Engagement: Visual Politics in California and Beyond (UC Press).

From Our Blog

In Memoriam: Peter Selz

Peter Selz, centenarian, influential art historian, prolific author, internationally celebrated curator, and the founding director of the University Art Museum at UC Berkeley (now Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive) peacefully passed away last week at home.“Peter Selz was a remarka
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Table of Contents

Preface to the Second Edition
Preface to the First Edition
General Introduction to the Second Edition (Kristine Stiles)

1. Gestural Abstraction
2. Geometric Abstraction
3. Figuration
4. Material Culture and Everyday Life
5. Art and Technology
6. Installations, Environments, and Sites
7. Process
8. Performance Art
9. Language and Concepts

Notes
Index
The Bibliography may be downloaded at www.ucpress.edu/go/theories.

Reviews

"This enormous book of primary sources contains it all: poems, manifestos, plans, statements, critiques, and of course, interviews, with over a hundred new artists over the first edition….keep it on your coffee table…for the next decade as you parse through whenever you need to be reminded that though the creative life might be lonely, you are not alone."
Publishers Weekly
“A collection of essays, interviews, and written statements that capture the vitality and global tenor of the contemporary art world. . . . This book will be indispensable for artists and art historians alike, and a must for libraries. . . . Essential.”
Choice
“Capture[s] the vitality and global tenor of the contemporary art world. . . . Indispensable for artists and art historians alike. . . . Essential.”
Choice
"Contrary to the popular myth of the 'inarticulate' artist, the literature of contemporary art is rich and varied and, until now, widely scattered. Theories and Documents of Contemporary Art is the most comprehensive selection of such writings available. An essential resource for scholars, it also offers the lay reader generous doses of vivid and provocative writing." —Robert Storr, Yale University



"The accomplishment of this book is astounding. It will change the way scholars think about the totality of the world of contemporary art, and it will be the essential text for generations of students to come." —Richard Shiff, University of Texas, Austin