false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1178883647m/848859.jpg 848859 1 What if work by 21 prominent contemporary artists could be described in terms of familiar topics rather than specialized mumbo-jumbo? That was the idea behind <I>Art: 21: Art in the Twenty-First Century</I>. Each of the four essayists takes one topic--place, spirituality, identity, or consumption--as the launching point for discussions of a varied group of American artists. Produced to accompany a PBS television series, this amply illustrated book embraces art ranging from the sexually charged sculptures of Louise Bourgeois (born in 1911) to paintings by Michael Ray Charles (born in 1967) that rework black stereotypes into ironic commentaries. The artists are certainly worthy, and it's no big deal that the art is nearly all from the 20th century (not, as the title suggests, the 21st). But the thematic approach works better for some artists than for others, and the effort to be inclusive makes for vague and awkward writing. <I>--Cathy Curtis</I> 834372 1 9 2001 Art: 21: Art in the Twenty-First Century total:7|5:2|4:5| 7 30 10 1 4 0 false false Wed Jan 23 09:50:00 -0800 2008 Thu Feb 07 09:41:49 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Apr 16 10:25:04 -0700 2009 Thu Apr 16 10:25:04 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sat Dec 27 14:41:22 -0800 2008 Sat Dec 27 14:41:25 -0800 2008 0 0 false false Thu Aug 28 06:14:29 -0700 2008 Thu Aug 28 06:14:29 -0700 2008 0 0 false false Thu Jul 31 07:44:25 -0700 2008 Tue Jan 27 08:48:40 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Mon Jun 30 18:54:35 -0700 2008 Mon Jun 30 18:54:35 -0700 2008 4 0 false false Sat May 24 17:33:49 -0700 2008 Sat May 24 17:33:49 -0700 2008 4 0 false false Mon Apr 07 00:13:56 -0700 2008 Mon Apr 07 00:13:56 -0700 2008 5 0 false false Wed Mar 19 00:43:00 -0700 2008 Wed Mar 19 00:43:00 -0700 2008 5 0 false false Fri Dec 21 06:01:13 -0800 2007 Fri Dec 21 06:01:13 -0800 2007 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=848859