Undoing the Visual Arts Since 1960
This timely study assesses how contemporary art replaced the artistic medium with art as text. The rise of the institutional theory of art, its academisation, and an ideological agenda made contemporary art immune from criticism—completing the undoing of visual art.
Collections reflect the passions of their owners, but how did people get to see them? This book investigates an understudied field: “access” to collections before public museums. The essays show there were diverse types of access that served a range of purposes.
This study of rock paintings and engraved art throws light on the lives of prehistoric people. It analyses painted animal and human figures to reveal their society, beliefs, rituals, material culture, and economy, from subsistence strategies to celebrations.