Challenging Art: Artforum 1962-1974

Rating:
Summary: The Battle for the Soul of Contemporary Art
Review: Amy Newman has written a thrilling account of how a small alternative art magazine, first published in the back room of a San Francisco art gallery in the early 1960s, developed into the "Bible" of the contemporary art world. Told compellingly in the words of the participants themselves, this oral history is a must read for people interested in contemporary art and an important introduction for those who want to know more. Ms. Newman adds important chapter and section introductions that move the story along and explain the interplay of personalities, ideas and events that influenced the art world. Important and surprising gems appear in endnotes, which reveal a depth of scholarship and insight that gives both the knowledgeable reader and the novice a further appreciation of the dramatic changes occurring in the art market and art criticism during the crucial decades of the 1960s and early 1970s. You meet not only the significant writers and editors of the time, but also the gallery owners, artists, collectors and others who shaped opinions and battled among themselves to create and mold the world of contemporary art into what is now a worldwide industry worth many hundreds of millions of dollars annually. This is a story told by men and women with deeply held views, strong personal and professional attachments, intense friendships and breakups--all committed to influencing how the world looked at, reacted to and evaluated the exploding contemporary art scene. They tell you about their battles, their triumphs and their defeats. They discuss issues that still resonate strongly throughout the art world. As the story develops, it becomes a drama that can't be put down.