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"What art might mean and how it is discussed in a country formed by life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is his big, compelling question. But he doesn't go at it from afar, from the distant vantage point of theory. Like the best American critics, Hickey sneaks up on the question quick and close." - Sarah Vowell, Salon"
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Dave Hickey's "The Invisible Dragon" exploded like a bomb in the world of art criticism when it was originally published in 1993. Championed by artists for its forceful call for attention to beauty, and savaged by more theoretically oriented critics who had long dismissed the very concept of beauty as naive, the book ignited a debate that has shown no sign of flagging. With this newly revised and expanded edition, Hickey is back to fan the flames. More manifesto than polite discussion, more call to action than criticism, "The Invisible Dragon" aims squarely at the hyper-institutionalism that, in Hickey's view, attempts to deny the real pleasures that draw viewers to art in the first place. Deploying the artworks of Warhol, Raphael, Caravaggio, and Mapplethorpe and the writings of Ruskin, Shakespeare, and Foucault, Hickey takes on museum culture, arid academicism, sclerotic politics, and more - all in the service of making readers rethink the nature of art. A new introduction provides context for the earlier essays - what Hickey calls his 'intellectual temper tantrums' - while a new essay, 'American Beauty,' concludes the volume with a historical argument that is a rousing paean to the inherently democratic nature of attention to beauty. Written with a verve and dynamism all too rare in serious criticism, this expanded and refurbished edition of "The Invisible Dragon" will be sure to captivate a whole new generation of readers, provoking the passionate reactions that are the hallmark of great art.
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8 reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
The wait is over!
7 Jun 2009
Format:Hardcover
As a graduate student I poured over these essays originally bound in a tattered soft cover I found at an obscure used book store. Years later, I'm still a fan of Hickey's cowboy-like mentality, wit and contemporary vernacular (most prevalent in "Air Guitar"). With my copy beyond repair, a few years ago I even contacted Art Issues Press in hopes for a copy and learned that a new edition was in the works. (They still sent me a nice clean photo-copy of the original.) This "revised and expanded" edition has reignited a lively debate amongst my peers and colleagues regarding the art market, the concept of beauty, and, of course, the sublime. This book belongs on the shelf of everyone associated with the arts.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Acerbic, defiant, anti-obtuse book that will stir up debates
6 July 2009
Format:Hardcover
The old edition of this book had been out of print long enough that it's started to become a serious collector's item, and rightfully so. These essays are charged with ideas that provoke conversation wherever and whenever they are dropped amidst artists and art critics. Do the come off sometimes as a little bit too confrontational? Is there a little bit too much of a twisting of the undergarments by Hickey, just for the fun of it sometimes? Of course. However, despite occasional lapses into mediocre sophomoric twitterings, there remains some substantial, serious thought throughout that is undeniable worth time and consideration.
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Brilliant Provocation
28 Mar 2009
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This short book of essays is essential reading in modern art and cultural criticism -- alternately illuminating and infuriating. It will get you thinking, seriously, in ways you haven't thought before -- and what more do we want from a critic? You will never consider "beauty" in quite the same way again.
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