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Art Since 1900: Modernism, Antimodernism and Postmodernism by Hal Foster  (1)  £29.99

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Synopsis
After the dominant models of art-as-text in the 1970s and art-as-simulacrum in the 1980s, Hal Foster argues that in the 1990s, we are now witness to a "return to the real" - to art and theory that seek to be grounded in bodies and sites, identities and communities. Foster's concise analysis of art practices over the past three decades traces important models at work in art and theory, with special attention to the controversial connections between the two during this period. It also focuses on the relation between prewar and postwar avant-gardes: how does the return of a past practice affect the development of a present one? The result is a genealogy of art and theory from minimalism and pop to the present. Chapters can be read independently, although Foster interrelates practices of sometimes disparate time periods and methodologies. Foster disputes the common assumption that contemporary art is only redundant, belated or condemned to pastiche. On the contrary, he suggests that the avant-garde always returns to us "from the future", repositioned by innovative practice in the present.

And he poses this retroactive mode of art and theory against the reactionary undoing of progressive culture that is so pervasive today. If "The Return of the Real" begins with a narrative of the historical avant-garde, it concludes with a reading of our contemporary situation - and what it portends for future practices of art and theory, culture and politics.

From the Back Cover
'As the twentieth century lurches to its end, the rhetoric of 'post' has been increasingly supplanted by an awareness of uncanny repetition. No one has more skillfully mapped the resulting spatial displacements and temporal heterogeneities than Hal Foster. Lively and accessible in style, theoretically astute and politically engaged, The Return of the Real is a model of cultural criticism at its most incisive.' Martin Jay, Professor, Dept. of History, University of California, Berkley

'Hal Foster's essays have time and again defined the point where theoretical imagination converges with urgent questions in the practice of art, and he offers a guiding intelligence for anyone who wants to know why contemporary art matters in the wider debates about the shape and direction of American culture.' Thomas Crow, Robert Lehman Professor of the History of Art, Yale University

'The compelling analyses in The Return of the Real make clear that Hal Foster is one of the few contemporary critics who consistently asks and thinks through the most probing questions about the turbulent intersection of late twentieth-century art, cultural theory, and global capitalism, and who keenly knows that the answers to them can never be reassuring or fashionable affirmations but rather new and disquieting questions.' Jonathan Crary, Columbia University

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4 Reviews 5 star:  (2) 4 star:  (2) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review (4 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   3 of 3 people found the following review helpful: A great book, 5 Jun 2006 By  Jonas K. Laursen "copenhagenjonas" - See all my reviews    Hal Fosters book about art theory from 1960 till today is a very good book in many ways. His subject is complex but he writes in a direct way and if you're interested in the subject you will appreciate the relative ease with which he writes about his complex subject. Especially his critique of Peter Bürger and his "theory of the avantgarde" is good I think. He engages in a discussion with the German art theorist in a very enlightening way. Also his use of Lacan and his screen that shows "the real" is very nuanced. You begin to appreciate the new art in a way you didn't before you started reading this book. All through the book you sense the writer's strong commitment to his subject. He really loves modern art and you feel it reading his book. A great book.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)   1 of 13 people found the following review helpful: fascinating, 19 Nov 1998 By A Customer Foster offers a very coherent discussion of contemporary art.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)   0 of 15 people found the following review helpful: helpful and interesting book, 21 Jul 1999 By A Customer It's a little conplex but appliavle to many kinds of contemporary art theories.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this) › See all 4 customer reviews...		Most Recent Customer Reviews A must-have Quite simply the bible of postmodernism. Although confronting complex and challenging theoretical issues, Foster presents his arguments immaculately, explaining problematic... Read more Published 6 months ago by Mr. C. J. P. Griffin Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews › See all 4 customer reviews...