Art Since 1989 (World of Art)

This is an interesting book about Art.

Review of Art Since 1989 by Kelly Grovier, Kendal Edition. The book has excellent pictures which can be enlarged in Kendal. This is an asset when evaluating art. I have read five books on Modern Art, The Shock of the New being the best so far, and they leave me with the impression that modern artists are playing us for suckers, and with each book I read and each piece of art I study, I become more convinced of the truth of this concept. Although not his intent, Mr. Grovier’s book is more evidence of the nothingness behind modern art.Mr. Grovier chose the year 1989 because in that year momentous events were triggered. It 1989 the Berlin Wall came down. In 1990 the Hubble Space Telescope was placed in orbit, the Human Genome project was unveiled, and the World Wide Web began operations. These political and cultural shock waves were taken up by the artists of our era.The book is based on the premise that great art “vibrates with the pulses of the age that provoked it and succeeds in chronicling its generation’s consciousness…” but, does modern art do that?The author senses the impossibility of his task when he states: “No era in the history of human creativity has even been so diverse in its vision or so seemingly disconnected in its achievement than the one in which we currently live”. He is right. There is no coherent story in modern art and his book proves it. Art Since 1989 introduces us to many artists and works of art. He groups the art into categories by chapter; for example, Face Time: Reinventing the Portrait, is chapter one. At the end he sums up by choosing a single key work from 1989 -- 2015 and focusing attention on it.In nearly every piece of modern art the meaning is undecipherable. Of course, the author can usually tell us the meaning, but that meaning cannot be pried out of the object of art sitting before our eyes. If art is made to communicate, it must be made to communicate with ordinary humans without clairvoyant powers. But modern art does not communicate any meaning on its own. A jumble of tubular steel wrapped in watercolor paper? A concrete image of a Victorian house? They communicate nothing.With few exceptions, the art discussed in this book could not communicate anything by viewing it alone. Other books on modern art ended up teaching me the same lesson, but by taking the topics of face and space and putting them into a time line, one can see the truth of it plainly. It’s easier to evaluate this way.The author seems to think women have been mistreated over the years by the art world, so he has included more art by women than men, by my calculation. Also included are several works by black artist, and artists from other cultures, obviously included to increase diversity.While the author never mentions this, it is obvious that modern artists go out of their way to include themselves prominently in their art. The Kiss, by Rose, loc 2169 Kendal, is one example. The megalomania of the modern artist is on display in many ways. Just look at the artwork.The issue has never been who made it. Rather, the issue is, is it any good. Modern art has dodged that question because you can’t tell if it is any good; thus, you can pick anyone as the best. There are no standards or discernable messages. The author recognizes that artist want to impact thinking, especially among the elite, however, art isn’t having an impact. Art is not changing the world. This is important and Mr. Grovier should have discussed it. Thirty years have passed since 1989, yet our art remains basicly the same. Artists keep putting up twisted metal or unfathomable dioramas and claiming its world changing art.Probably not. This book unwillingly proves it.AD2

Essential to comprehend the broad spectrum of modern art

Great

The author’s words flow easily in this intelligent survey. Very straightforward commentary on artworks and how they relate to their time and the world.

This book is full of original and powerful insight into a contemporary art scene that can often be baffling to the rest of us (like me!). It is also beautifully written. Full disclosure: I know the writer, which also means that I know the incredibly hard work that went into the making of this book! A great read, and a great gift for anyone interested in contemporary art.