contemporary art

The contemporary art world has expanded

exponentially over the last two decades,
generating uncertainty as to what matters
and why. Contemporary Art: to the Present
offers an unparalleled resource for students,
artists, scholars, and art enthusiasts. It is the
first collection of its kind to bring together
fresh perspectives from leading international
art historians, critics, curators, and artists for a
far-ranging dialogue about contemporary art.
The book is divided into fourteen thematic
clusters: The Contemporary and Globalization;
Art after Modernism and Postmodernism;
Formalism; Medium Specificity; Art and
Technology; Biennials; Participation; Activism;
Agency; The Rise of Fundamentalism; Judgment;
Markets; Art Schools and the Academy; and
Scholarship. Every section presents three
essays, each of which puts forward a distinct
viewpoint that can be read independently
or considered in tandem.
With up-to-date research concerns, as well
as more enduring topics, this text will provoke
lively discussion regarding contemporary art,
its study, and its historiography. Contemporary
Art: to the Present provides a much-needed
examination of the contemporary situation,
and an encapsulation of a complex
intellectual zeitgeist.

With its rich roster of art historians, critics,

and curators, Contemporary Art: to the
Present provides the essential chart of this
new field.
Hal Foster, Princeton University
Featuring a diverse and exciting line-up
of international critics, curators, and art
historians, Contemporary Art: to the
Present is an indispensable introduction
to the major issues shaping the study of
contemporary art.
Pamela Lee, Stanford University
In Contemporary Art: to the Present, a
new generation of critics and scholars comes
of age. Full of fresh ideas, engaged writing,
and provocative proposals about the art of
the current moment and the immediate past,
this book is sure to become the standard,
go to text in the field of contemporary
art history.
Richard Meyer, author of
What was Contemporary Art?

Alexander Dumbadze is associate professor

of art history at The George Washington
University. He is president of the Society of
Contemporary Art Historians and a cofounder
of the Contemporary Art Think Tank. He has
written essays for a number of international
exhibition catalogues, and is a recipient of the
Creative Capital | Warhol Foundation Arts Writers
Grant. His book Bas Jan Ader: Death is Elsewhere
is forthcoming.
Suzanne Hudson is assistant professor
of art history at the University of Southern
California. She is president emeritus and chair
of the executive committee of the Society of
Contemporary Art Historians and a cofounder
of the Contemporary Art Think Tank. In addition
to her work as an art historian, she is an active
critic whose work has appeared in international
exhibition catalogues and such publications as
Parkett, Flash Art, and Art Journal; she is a regular
contributor to Artforum. In 200 she published
Robert Ryman: Used Paint. Her most recent book,
Painting Now, is forthcoming.

Dumbadze pb.indd 1

edited by
Alexander Dumbadze and Suzanne Hudson

con
tem
por
ary
art
1989 to the Present

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