Art in the Modern Era: A Guide to Styles, Schools, Movements

Dempsey, Amy

The complex changes during the past 150 years of art history can at times create something resembling a Gordian knot. Dempsey, who has extensive museum experience and a Ph.D. in art history from the Courtland Institute in London, deserves praise for sorting out more than 300 movements, stylistic spin-offs, and convoluted political and interdisciplinary influences in this excellent work. The highly compact yet astute entries are freely cross-referenced, and a good fold-out time line allows for quick visual understanding features that help to clarify the web of relationships among burgeoning theories and practicing artists. In addition, each entry cites important collections and key sources for further study. European and North American painting, sculpture, architecture, and design are emphasized, as are installation, performance, sound, video, and Internet art. (The author felt that, given their scope, photography and film should be treated in a separate volume.) All major and minor movements are mentioned in this very comprehensive guide, which could easily become a standard for modern art survey courses, making it a sensible purchase for most libraries. Susan Lense, Upper Arlington P.L., OH
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