Art and Social Change: A Critical Reader

Abstract

The relationship of art and artists with social and political change is not only a highly topical area of current debate; it is also fundamental to the history of modern art. For the first time this volume gathers together the essential texts that have defined this area since the late nineteenth century through to today, filling a clear gap in the available literature. Using primary sources, case studies and new commissions, Art and Social Change provides an overview of the historical development of artists' engagement with ideas of social and political change, from utopian imaginings to active engagement. Incorporating artists' writings and public statements, as well as critical and theoretical texts, the volume also highlights developments outside established Western art history. Clearly structured within a chronological sequence of key dates, the volume includes critical commentaries from each period, together with contextual essays by art historians and theorists. The history of these ideas is brought right up to date with artists' reactions to the accelerated technological and economic globalization of the last fifteen years.

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