From the early years of the American Republic to the present, art and architecture have consistently aroused major disputes among artists, critics,...
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Dec 07, 2009
Charles
rated it: 
A news item recently reported that a gallery in Los Angeles had received protests about an exhibition of 27 photographs of crying toddlers. The photographer offered a lollipop to each of her 2- and 3-year-old subjects, then snatched it away and snapped the picture. Some who saw the exhibition thought she should be charged with child abuse.
The obvious comment is that creating controversial art is as easy as taking candy from a baby. But that the story made the news also points up the More...
The obvious comment is that creating controversial art is as easy as taking candy from a baby. But that the story made the news also points up the More...
Oct 24, 2011
Jennifer
rated it: 
Really enjoyed this, particularly the earlier chapters which dealt some unfamiliar brouhouhas, like the difficulties that beset the WPA mural program. (I always thought of this as really popular, democractic art, no idea how messy it was.) There's good stuff about public sculpture as well...heartening how well accepted some of these very abstract pieces have become after an initial backlash. Anyway, I did enjoy this and would recommend it to anyone who thinks about the boundaries of high and p
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Aug 02, 2011
Hotavio
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Visual Shock centers on the history of controversy in American art. The book considers a wide scope of art including monuments, murals, the encroachment of modernism in painting and sculpture, public sculpture, and the transformation of the art museum. The book then takes a comparative approach to trends around the world.
Kammen's book is well organized and weighs the tendencies for art to push towards controversy in order to better serve the public. The author furthers that More...
Kammen's book is well organized and weighs the tendencies for art to push towards controversy in order to better serve the public. The author furthers that More...
Mar 13, 2011
Ryan
rated it: 
Nicely compartmentalized for those with adult attention deficit disorder...the first chapter is about Monuments - the size, setting and style, and of course the politics of the Vietnam Memorial, Washington Monument and other Monuments on the Mall. Good stuff.
The overall theme is that art was more shocking in the beginning of the 1900s, that each time a new controversy arises we become desensitized to the shock and it takes more to freak us out. The one variation was the idea about mo More...
The overall theme is that art was more shocking in the beginning of the 1900s, that each time a new controversy arises we become desensitized to the shock and it takes more to freak us out. The one variation was the idea about mo More...
Feb 24, 2010
Carol
rated it:
Scholarly book about controversies in American Art. The Maier Museum has a Sally Mann photograph. I didn't realize she was critized for photographing (exploiting?) her young children. I find her 'The New Mothers' amusing.
http://maier.randolphcollege.edu/Obj84$5...
Most of the controversial Monuments and Murals (Diego Rivera esp.)discussed were familar to me. I also remember the flap when the Smithsonian had an exhibit with Archie Bunker's chair. Some of the other controversi More...
http://maier.randolphcollege.edu/Obj84$5...
Most of the controversial Monuments and Murals (Diego Rivera esp.)discussed were familar to me. I also remember the flap when the Smithsonian had an exhibit with Archie Bunker's chair. Some of the other controversi More...
Oct 09, 2008
R.
rated it:
Overall I enjoyed reading this book however it was fairly different than what I expected and much of it felt obvious. I had hoped to read something that described controversies in art an how they reflected the time, how they shaped art history and why so much "great" art is often controversial before it becomes accepted. The book did touch on some of these topics but more focused on how museum and cultural politics and journalists created art "controversies" and how these c
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Jan 08, 2009
David
rated it:
This book won some sort of award. It is a history of controversies surrounding artworks in America. Although it is a decent source book on its topic, and although it has some obscure examples, it is kind of boring in contrast to the anecdotes in relays. Perhaps the accumulation of scandal and shock is too much for my weak mind.
Sep 10, 2011
Autumn
rated it:
I'm still not sure how a book about art controversies in America could be so dull while examining such interesting cases. The book is in need of greater editing; there is a lot of repetition, and artists and controversies are mentioned at different times throughout the book to various degrees. The book also discusses museum exhibit controversies which is a different topic altogether. As other reviews have mentioned, it would have been very helpful to have illustrations for all of the cases discu
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Aug 28, 2008
Glenn
rated it:
An okay book reviewing visual art controversies (not musical, etc.). One thing sorely lacking was that for the vast majority of the artworks discussed, there were no pictures--curious in a book about visual art. I was able to Google quite a few of them but that gets tedious quickly.
Jul 15, 2008
Ashley
rated it:
It could have been much improved if there were more pictures of the artwork discussed, and in color, but overall I think I learn enough to show off in museums...
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