Lost in Art

Fülszöveg

The contemporary art world has become so complex that it is almost impossible to know what exactly is going on globally. Certainly, there are trends, influential artists and theories that shape the global artistic map, but the diversity continues to create confusion. Probably one of the most unsettling problems in this pluralism is the difficulty to circumscribe what a good work of art might be. Besides the contradictory theories, celebrity artists and art fairs make increasing amounts of money and attract an increasing number of people. The art world deals in billions of dollars, where artists emerge and become world famous while others never get any recognition. Who are the judges and what are judgments of quality based on? Who becomes famous and who does not? What sells and what does not and why? In answering these questions the art world hides behind the concept of 'good works of art', and it seems as if this category is a given. But what exactly constitutes a good work of art... Tovább

Fülszöveg

The contemporary art world has become so complex that it is almost impossible to know what exactly is going on globally. Certainly, there are trends, influential artists and theories that shape the global artistic map, but the diversity continues to create confusion. Probably one of the most unsettling problems in this pluralism is the difficulty to circumscribe what a good work of art might be. Besides the contradictory theories, celebrity artists and art fairs make increasing amounts of money and attract an increasing number of people. The art world deals in billions of dollars, where artists emerge and become world famous while others never get any recognition. Who are the judges and what are judgments of quality based on? Who becomes famous and who does not? What sells and what does not and why? In answering these questions the art world hides behind the concept of 'good works of art', and it seems as if this category is a given. But what exactly constitutes a good work of art within the contemporary art world? Although there might not be an answer to this question, at least we can ídentify certain points that are behind adjudication. In this book, there is a focus on three aspects of the art world that are active as well as influential agents in their quality-making spheres, namely modern and contemporary art theory, the art markét and the museum. Within these three realms, modernist art theories, the motivations behind the modernist museum are critically examined and the concept of taste is elaborated upon. Further on, different contemporary art theories are circumscribed. An exploration of the art markét and its ability to create artist superstars by promoting certain trends follow, the role of the contemporary museum and its relationship with the art markét is touched upon and finally we arrive at contemporary art criticism. Motivations and mechanisms behind these forums are revealed in order to understand how they influence and shape our concept of the 'good work of art'. "An informative and very readable text to guide the art lover and visitor to the art gallery or museum, along the often bumpy road of art theory and the manipulations of the so-called artistic elite or 'connoisseurs'." Dr Eunice Basson, art histórián, academic, University of Pretoria, University of South Africa Vissza