Changing Boundaries and Nature of the Modern Art World: The Art Object and the Object of Art

Richard Kalina's survey of the contemporary art scene over the last 30 years focuses on the development of concepts, the transformation of art worlds, and the social matrices in which they are created. He discusses painting in general and abstract painting in particular, including photorealism, sculpture, and art forms outside of the modernist tradition. Kalina's group of artists includes Mel Bochner, Joan Mitchell, Cy Twombly, Franz West, and Alma Thomas, who question aesthetic assumptions and explore the social matrices in which art is embedded.

Format: Hardback
Length: 248 pages
Publication date: 01 July 2021
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Richard Kalina delves into the dynamic realm of contemporary art, providing a comprehensive overview of the past three decades. His central focus lies in the ever-evolving concepts, the metamorphosis of art worlds, and the social contexts in which they emerge. In his exploration, Kalina examines painting in broad terms, including abstract painting, and encompasses a wide range of artistic expressions, such as photorealism, sculpture, and forms that deviate from the modernist tradition. Among the distinguished group of artists associated with Kalina's survey are Mel Bochner, Joan Mitchell, Cy Twombly, Franz West, and Alma Thomas. These artists, through their ongoing projects, explicitly or implicitly challenge the prevailing aesthetic assumptions of their time. By seamlessly integrating an analysis of animating philosophies and contextual factors—political, social, and personal—with a keen examination of the artworks themselves, Kalina offers a profound insight into the social matrices within which art is embedded and responds to larger inquiries about the object nature of art in the contemporary world.

Weight: 522g
Dimension: 213 x 242 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781350154735