Art Has No History!

Leading art historians and artist-writers discuss some of the most important artists of the postwar period and take a critical look at the construction of modern art history.

School Library Journal

Roberts's introductory polemic, and the ten essays by British artists and writers, are meant to be provocative. Their highly valid point is that modern art has been heaped with ideological baggage-baggage that has ultimately detracted from the understanding of artistic production. The history of Modernism has attracted a great variety of ideologies, and art history has not been exempt from this trend. While this anthology is mainly concerned with historical materialism, its writings also illustrate how British art theory has been more militantly radical than in other countries. The essays focus on specific artists, from Picabia to Laurie Anderson, and how their creative intentions can be stripped from a welter of rationalizing critiques. The language and dialectics demonstrated here are not for the lay reader; the authors' arguments are clearly meant for students and specialists. Consequently, this publication is an elective purchase for specialized art collections.-Paula A. Baxter, NYPL