What Is Contemporary Art? Paperback – October 15, 2009

Having studied Fine Art at University which included an intense Art History component, I found that I have been quite comfortable with most History prior to Duchampian Theory... then I get a little confused. Terry Smith goes to great depths in making this possibly confusing subject relatively easy to understand.Within his essay he divides contemporary art up into three components: mainstream Modernism, retro-sensationalism and post colonial. Through investigating current galleries and artists Smith is able to lay his case open.

It is impossible to read this book without a thesaurus and a dictionary beside you. Even then, drugs are needed to reach the trance like state that is necesary to get yourelf through this book. There are some useful messages at the end of a book that could have been written in a quarter of the space but by the time I got to the messages I was brain dead. The sad thing is that there is ample excellent material in the book to have made a real difference to the understanding of contemporary art by the wider community but that opportunity has been lost for the moment.

Completely unreadable and Incomprehensible. So far up it's own ass it can't see daylight.

What Is Contemporary Art?If you ask me after reading this book, I would reply that its a question that doesn't get answered until the final chapter of the book.According to Terry Smith, "the answer is obvious--and has been since the 1980s. Contemporary Art is the institutionalized network through which the art of today presents itself to itself and to its interested audiences all over the world." A response that is better suited to answering the question: What is the Contemporary Art World?This definition (and the book as a whole) has no value in terms of understanding, appreciating or making art.Smith discusses the history of how globalization has affected the contemporary art world. If you are interested in the politics and economics of the contemporary art world, then this book is for you. If you are interested in art, look at the table of contents and make your own decision.

This is an essential read to all and its language and contents are accessible for non-art experts too. It covers an essential topic - contemporary art - and it supports our understanding of this complex world. A must read.

Dense and difficult but I am persevering