From Library Journal
If ever a series could elucidate the many forces active in contemporary art, it is Phaidon's "Themes and Movements." Divided into three major sections beginning with a survey by cultural critic and curator Brian Wallis, the book defines land and environmental art and places it in a broader context. The second section, presented by critic and editor Kastner, contains classic examples of work starting in 1947 with a maquette by Isamu Noguchi and ending with a 1996 proposal by Mark Dion. Each work is illustrated chronologically with expanded captions noting intention, process, and exhibition history. The last section is loaded with articles, reviews, and artists' statements that directly support both the survey and the works. A book like this is badly needed to consolidate a subject that has often been scattered into many categories; here Smithson, De Maria, and Christo appear alongside Ukeles, Mendieta, and Chin. Some of the artists are more conceptual while others are more sculptural, but nearly all have taken their work outside the museum setting. A virtual tour of an exhibition that spans more than four decades and thousands of miles; highly recommended for academic and large public libraries.ASusan M. Olcott, Columbus Metropolitan Lib., OHCopyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

The traditional landscape genre was radically transformed in the 1960s when many artists stopped merely representing the land and made their mark directly in the environment. Drawn by the vast, uncultivated spaces of the desert and mountain as well as by post-industrial wastelands, artists such as Michael Heizer, Nancy Holt and Robert Smithson moved the earth to create colossal primal symbols. Others punctuated the horizon with man-made signposts, such as Christo's Running Fence and Walter De Maria's The Lightning Field. Journeys became works of art for Richard Long whilst Dennis Oppenheim immersed his entire body in the contours of the land.

This book fully documents the 1960s Land Art movement as well as surveying later examples of Environmental Art to the present day. Earthworks, environments, performances and actions by artists ranging from Ana Mendieta in the 1970s-80s to Peter Fend in the 1990s are all illustrated with breathtaking photographs alongside sketches and project notes.

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal