ArtSpeak

November 11, 2013
A revised and expanded edition of the popular field guide, Atkins's text manages an accomplished duality of concision and comprehensiveness as it tours through contemporary art. Even for dedicated fans, the contemporary art world can be a daunting place, driven by seemingly abstruse styles, movements, and theoretical preoccupations. As a veteran traveler in this world, Atkins gracefully distills many of these major forces into succinct entries, listing the most influential artists alongside his brief explanation of driving concerns and modes. By necessity, the lexicon is less about producing startling insights and more about providing some basic framing for those entering a museum or gallery, and its consistent pointing toward other artists and overlapping -isms generate plenty of opportunities for further research. At the same time, Atkins includes a number of basic terms (from "biennial" to "zeitgeist") that help provide a useful outline of contemporary art on whole, amorphous as it is. The new edition includes both very recent vocabulary, such as 2012's coining of "abject expressionism," as well as a more developed mapping of contemporary Chinese art. While the guide could certainly be broadened in countless ways, for those encountering the market-driven world primarily centered in the West, Atkins provides a practical text, somehow able to navigate its inscrutable subject and arrive at an engaging, readable survey. Color illus.

November 15, 2013

Art historian, journalist, activist, and critic Atkins (ArtSpoke: A Guide to Modern Ideas, Movements, and Buzzwords, 1848-1944) presents the third edition of this standard handbook (the first was published in 1990, the second in 1997). This edition covers art movements and activities since 1945, with many revised and updated entries as well as 29 new topics. New entries include recent movements, such as San Francisco's Mission School, and old movements that have attracted new art world scrutiny. Also included are many terms used when discussing contemporary Chinese art movements, such as rustic realism and political pop. The time line has been brought up to date, but the format for the entries is the same as in the previous editions: alphabetical, with most entries subdivided into who, where, when, and what subsections. The writing is simple, direct, nonjudgmental, and succinct. VERDICT The index and color illustrations were not seen at the time of review, but this is an essential update for all libraries dealing with movements in later 20th- and early 21st-century art movements.--Jack Perry Brown, Art Inst. of Chicago Libs.

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.