Art Since 1960

"Archer's admirable overview treats the history of art of this period in a manner which does justice to its diversity and its complexity of inter-relations between different aspects of artistic practice and the actualities of the world within which they operate."
—Art Monthly

Art today may seem perplexing at first with its divergent styles, forms, practices, media, and agendas. Michael Archer's intelligently argued survey is unique in revealing and making coherent sense of art practice from the past forty years—Pop, Minimal, Conceptual, Land, Performance, Body, and Installation—and myriad developments in the work of Warhol, Beuys, Bourgeois, and the many other artists whose works are discussed and illustrated here.

The underlying themes that run through contemporary art, irrespective of styles and techniques, reveal the complex relationship between art and everyday life worldwide. This revised and expanded edition is brought up to date with discussions on the more comprehensive globalization of art since the mid-1990s, which can be seen in the growth of the exhibition calendar and the number of new contemporary art museums opening around the world. With over thirty additional illustrations and an updated timeline and bibliography, this book will prove indispensable to anyone interested in the evolution of modern art.

Michael Archer teaches at the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art, Oxford University, and is a visiting research fellow at Chelsea College of Art and Design, London.

"Packed with references to the many artists of the period . . . a welcome publication covering a period in art history not yet properly documented." —Choice