Begriffslexikon zur zeitgenössischen Kunst

Indispensable! The “Begriffslexikon zur zeitgenössischen Kunst” still offers, over 376 pages, a compact survey of the most important phenomena of contemporary art, reliably covering the period up to the middle and end of the 2010s. In 90 essays, leading theorists of our time describe, analyse and assess in pointed fashion the development of art from 1960 to the present. At the same time the discourses influential for art are introduced and their power to define culture is examined and questioned. The intellectualisation of art history and art theory observable over the past few decades is characterised, among other things, by its interdisciplinary claim: alongside traditional questions and methods, perspectives drawn from discourse analysis, social history, gender theory, media analysis, postcolonial studies and visual studies have long since become established. This applies in particular to contemporary art, whose demanding reception requires an ever broader body of knowledge and a heightened awareness of theory. The present dictionary of terms is intended to provide a means of orientation: readers can gain an overview both of contemporary art and of the theoretical debates that are inseparable from it. The texts do not seek to convey a detached, canonising view; rather, they are themselves to be understood as part of the current debates, especially since many of the topics and discourses are still in development. The contributions therefore take a form that moves between the classic dictionary entry and the critical essay. At the end of each text, which contains numerous illustrations, there is also a selection of relevant literature for a more intensive engagement with the subject.