Art on the Edge... And Over: Searching for Art's Meaning in Contemporary Society Book

In this highly accessible introduction to American art since the 1970's, Linda Weintraub offers a musem goers a readable exploration of some of the most important artists and movements of the past decades.

Library Journal

For the past three decades, contemporary artists have been dissolving the boundaries of established art by creating works that neither hang on walls nor adorn pedestals. The artists sometimes struggle against concepts of aesthetic value, permanence, and visual sense. Curator and educator Weintraub has researched and/or interviewed 35 prominent radical artists and here explores the common themes, creative processes, diverse media, and purposes in their works. Devoting one essay to each artist, she provides superb preparation to museum and gallery goers who may be confronting these exasperating works for the first time. The clear, highly sensitive essays discuss Andres Serrano's photo of a crucifix submerged in urine; the half ton of dirty clothes Christian Boltanski piled on a museum floor worn by children of the Holocaust; Janine Antoni's mammoth blocks of chocolate and lard, reflecting compulsions; Chuck Close's computer art; and David Hammon's construction forged from urban refuse. Recommended for collections with an interest in contemporary works.Joan Levin, MLS, Chicago