The Shock of the New

by Robert Hughes

A great introduction to the themes and events that have shaped art in the 20th century. Robert Hughes is a marvelous writer, and ties in themes quite well.

Essays on the Blurring of Art and Life

by Allan Kaprow, Jeff Kelley (Editor)

Book Description from Amazon.com: As the creator of "Happenings" and "Environments," Allan Kaprow is the prince and prophet of all we call performance art today. He is also known for having written some of the most thoughtful, provocative, and influential essays of his generation. From "The Legacy of Jackson Pollock" in 1958

Six Years: The Dematerialization of the...

Art of Exhibitions, The: Thirty...

from Amazon.com: The broad appeal of exhibition going today owes an immense debt to the avant-garde art shows of the 20th century. Without the vision, energy, and courage of those pioneering artists and curators, the contemporary presentation of art would look very different and would not be nearly as rich. "The Art of the Exhibition" provides in-depth analysis of those provocative, ambitious, daring, and spectacular events that revolutionized the art of public display and helped define the key movements of the last century. Comprising 30 analytical essays by critics and curators with firsthand knowledge of, or involvement with, the exhibitions they discuss, the book includes texts by Dore Ashton, Germano Celant, and other major scholars, and covers shows like the First International Dada Fair in 1920, The International Exhibition of Surrealism in 1938, Peggy Guggenheim's Art of This Century in 1942, Claes Oldenburg's The Store in 1961, and Gilbert & George's Living Sculpture in 1969-70. These texts are also an essential guide to the rising cultural, social, and economic impact of exhibitions during the last century, and provide an insider's view of the nuts and bolts of exhibition organizing. Along with the essays are many fascinating and previously unpublished photographs of the exhibitions and artists.

Exhibitions highlighted include: The Vienna Secession 1902; The New York Armory Show 1913; The First International Dada Fair 1920; The International Exhibition of Surrealism 1938; Peggy Guggenheim's Art of This Century 1942; Gilbert & George Living Sculpture 1969-70 Essays by Dore Ashton, Germano Celant, Thomas Kellein and Thomas M. Messer. Foreword by Bernd Kluser. Introduction by Katharina Hegewisch. 250 b&w and 30 duotones.