Mortality Immortality?: The Legacy of 20th-Century Art

by Miguel Corzo

Overview

Which objects or events will define the art of our time? Who will decide what is to be preserved for posterity and how that will be done? If an artist chooses ephemeral materials, should the work be allowed to deteriorate? These are among the questions posed in this proceedings volume, based on a conference on the preservation of contemporary art held at the Getty Center. Professionals from a range of disciplines discuss issues of the artist's original intent, the effect of the art market, ways to cope with rapidly evolving media technologies, and fine art as popular culture. Participants include the artists David Hockney and Judy Chicago, the philosopher Arthur Danto, collectors Agnes Gund and Clifford Einstein, and museum professionals Roy A. Perry (Tate Gallery), James Coddington (Museum of Modern Art), Peter Galassi (Museum of Modern Art), and John Hanhardt (Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum).

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780892365289
Publisher:	Getty Publications
Publication date:	04/29/1999
Series:	Symposium Proceedings
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	212
Product dimensions:	10.50(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.60(d)

Editorial Reviews

That artists are innovators and sometimes create art from bizarre and unstable materials is not in itself alarming. But it raises the question of how to maintain and safeguard such works and what steps, if any, should be taken to preserve an artifact meant to be ephemeral. Early last year a panel of art experts--curators, collectors, conservators, artists, critics, art dealers, and museum directors--met at the Getty Center in Los Angeles to discuss the problems of preserving modern art. This is hardly a recent concern--more than 30 years ago art conservator Louis Pomerantz tackled the same issue in his book Is Your Contemporary Painting More Temporary Than You Think? The present book, a collection of some 30 essays, is the outcome of the Getty conference and addresses not only technical issues but also ethical and historical concerns. Some of these essays are informative, though a few are of questionable value, and for that reason this book should not be considered an essential purchase.--Margarete Gross, Chicago P.L. Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

From a March 1998 conference in Los Angeles, 30 essays grapple with understanding which objects or events will define the art of the 20th century, who will decide what is to be preserved for posterity and how that will be done, and whether works of art the artists has decided to execute in ephemeral materials should be allowed to deteriorate. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

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