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The Contemporaries: Travels in the 21st-Century Art World
It's been nearly a century since Marcel Duchamp exhibited a urinal and called it art. Since then, painting has been declared dead several times over, and contemporary art has now expanded to include just about any object, action, or dance routines, slideshows, functional hair salons, seemingly random accretions of waste. In the meantime, being an artist has gone from a join-the-circus fantasy to a plausible vocation for scores of young people in America. But why--and how and by whom--does all this art get made? How is it evaluated? And for what, if anything, will today's artists be remembered? In The Contemporaries , Roger White, himself a young painter, serves as our spirited, skeptical guide through this diffuse creative world.From young artists trying to elbow their way in to those working hard at dropping out, White's essential book offers a once-in-a-generation glimpse of the inner workings of the American art world at a moment of unparalleled ambition, uncertainty, and creative exuberance.
- GenresArtNonfiction
288 pages, Paperback
First published March 3, 2015
21 people are currently reading
394 people want to read
About the author
Roger White
2 booksLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Roger White is a painter and writer who splits his time between Middlebury, Vermont and Brooklyn, New York. He received an MFA in painting from Columbia University in 2000. His work is represented by the Rachel Uffner Gallery in New York, and he has exhibited his paintings in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Tokyo. In 2007, he co-founded the art journal Paper Monument, and he has since co-edited two Paper Monument pamphlets: I Like Your Work and Draw It With Your Eyes Closed. His writing has also appeared in The Brooklyn Rail, Artreview, and Modern Painters.
Roger White is a painter and writer who splits his time between Middlebury, Vermont and Brooklyn, New York. He received an MFA in painting from Columbia University in 2000. His work is represented by the Rachel Uffner Gallery in New York, and he has exhibited his paintings in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Tokyo. In 2007, he co-founded the art journal Paper Monument, and he has since co-edited two Paper Monument pamphlets: I Like Your Work and Draw It With Your Eyes Closed. His writing has also appeared in The Brooklyn Rail, Artreview, and Modern Painters.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
April 23, 2024
Roger White discusses the status of contemporary art by focusing on art education, the role and controversy of assistants, regional art culture then focuses on the work of 3 artists while weaving in other aspects of the contemporary art world. The writing is good, but my not being an artist or art historian, it was a bit esoteric to me.
July 29, 2015
"Then I wondered what would happen if all of Jonathan's paintings suddenly disappeared - would we talk about the walls? The critique might stop in its tracks, but maybe it would simply turn to the next available object, and then the next, picking up momentum as it did: from the walls to the room, the room to the building, the building to the school, the school to the MFA system, until, if there was enough time, we ultimately encountered the entire economy of art education and our vexed roles with in..."
The Contemporaries is primarily an investigation of this reflexive space where institutionalization and commodification intersect with art practice: it's there along that infinitely expanding horizon, White contends, where we find 'Contemporary Art' as a proper movement actualizing itself following the birth of Conceptual Art in the late 1960s when art 'dematerialized' in order to transcend the boundaries of gallery and market but swallowed its own tail in the process.
White makes his survey as an experiential correspondent and maintains a mostly objective proximity to his subject matter, artists and artworks alike, rarely making any qualifying implications. He also avoids any programmatic approach toward a thesis, seldom even using the term 'contemporary art' after introductory remarks. These stylistic choices, coupled with some very casual journalistic tonal embellishments like the above quote (he offers many personable asides, tho, again, never qualifying remarks) make it impossible not to figure White's book as exactly the kind of Self-Eating meta-project he documents throughout.
I was equally irked by and admiring of this process. At times it felt like an indulgent memoir, like reading a lesser Ben Lerner novel; very fashionable, very now. Generally, tho, I was intrigued by his commentary, enlightened by his art history and fascinated by his subjects, especially Mary Walling Blackburn & Stephen Kaltenbach. The art school critiques were thrilling and the studio assistant section was really eye-opening. I found the Dana Schutz stuff wholly uninteresting and kinda cringe-worthy when he talked about having been thru the same MFA as her or whatever.
Perhaps not an essential addition to the library but I'd definitely recommend giving it a thorough skim if you get the chance.
The Contemporaries is primarily an investigation of this reflexive space where institutionalization and commodification intersect with art practice: it's there along that infinitely expanding horizon, White contends, where we find 'Contemporary Art' as a proper movement actualizing itself following the birth of Conceptual Art in the late 1960s when art 'dematerialized' in order to transcend the boundaries of gallery and market but swallowed its own tail in the process.
White makes his survey as an experiential correspondent and maintains a mostly objective proximity to his subject matter, artists and artworks alike, rarely making any qualifying implications. He also avoids any programmatic approach toward a thesis, seldom even using the term 'contemporary art' after introductory remarks. These stylistic choices, coupled with some very casual journalistic tonal embellishments like the above quote (he offers many personable asides, tho, again, never qualifying remarks) make it impossible not to figure White's book as exactly the kind of Self-Eating meta-project he documents throughout.
I was equally irked by and admiring of this process. At times it felt like an indulgent memoir, like reading a lesser Ben Lerner novel; very fashionable, very now. Generally, tho, I was intrigued by his commentary, enlightened by his art history and fascinated by his subjects, especially Mary Walling Blackburn & Stephen Kaltenbach. The art school critiques were thrilling and the studio assistant section was really eye-opening. I found the Dana Schutz stuff wholly uninteresting and kinda cringe-worthy when he talked about having been thru the same MFA as her or whatever.
Perhaps not an essential addition to the library but I'd definitely recommend giving it a thorough skim if you get the chance.
June 14, 2015
Enjoyable but simple look at the current status of contemporary art in America.
The book is broken into six sections. The first half covers different aspects of the art world: education and the MFA, art assistants and the history of apprenticeship, and Milwaukee as an example of smaller art centers outside NY, LA and Chicago. The second half looks at three different artists working in different fields of art: Dana Schutz and painting, Mary Walling Blackburn and performance/participatory art, and Stephen Kaltenbach and conceptual art (includes an interesting description of conceptual art for the novice).
I found the first half to be quite interesting and wished the author would have spent more time with these subjects. The MFA chapter would be interesting to those who have never participated in art critique sessions (always the best part of studio classes imo). I think that the chapter on art assistants might be the most enlightening for the general reader. Assistants and apprentices have filled artists’ studios since the Middle Ages and hopefully readers will no longer be shocked to hear that Damien Hirst and Jeff Koons do not create all of their own work. The Milwaukee chapter was a kind of depressing look at an insular (and shrinking?) art community. As an undergrad, I spent some time in the galleries of Kansas City and St. Louis and know that small cities can host vibrant art communities -- even during a brief visit to Des Moines, I was shocked by the quality of the Des Moines Art Center. Perhaps he should have spent more time in Milwaukee? Or chosen a different city? Interesting art is being created well beyond New York and it’s a subject worth delving into more.
The book is broken into six sections. The first half covers different aspects of the art world: education and the MFA, art assistants and the history of apprenticeship, and Milwaukee as an example of smaller art centers outside NY, LA and Chicago. The second half looks at three different artists working in different fields of art: Dana Schutz and painting, Mary Walling Blackburn and performance/participatory art, and Stephen Kaltenbach and conceptual art (includes an interesting description of conceptual art for the novice).
I found the first half to be quite interesting and wished the author would have spent more time with these subjects. The MFA chapter would be interesting to those who have never participated in art critique sessions (always the best part of studio classes imo). I think that the chapter on art assistants might be the most enlightening for the general reader. Assistants and apprentices have filled artists’ studios since the Middle Ages and hopefully readers will no longer be shocked to hear that Damien Hirst and Jeff Koons do not create all of their own work. The Milwaukee chapter was a kind of depressing look at an insular (and shrinking?) art community. As an undergrad, I spent some time in the galleries of Kansas City and St. Louis and know that small cities can host vibrant art communities -- even during a brief visit to Des Moines, I was shocked by the quality of the Des Moines Art Center. Perhaps he should have spent more time in Milwaukee? Or chosen a different city? Interesting art is being created well beyond New York and it’s a subject worth delving into more.
February 4, 2015
Roger White covers a ton of ground about contemporary art and manages to do so in less than 300 pages. His writing is concise and very journalistic, he shows us things but rarely critiques. In fact, even though he is an artist (painter) and art professor himself, he comes across as a kind of Nick Carraway of sorts, like he's standing in the Art World and witnessing what's going on but not really part of it.
White breaks his book into 6 parts, the ones I enjoyed most were the one about MFA programs and if they are necessary anymore, and the last three parts about the individual artists, Dana Schutz, Mary Walling Blackburn, and Stephen Kaltenbach. I was pleasantly surprised that he chose 2 female artists to highlight.
I enjoyed reading this book, but I'm not sure it really answered any questions about the contemporary art world, in fact it left everything pretty open-ended. But that's art for you.
White breaks his book into 6 parts, the ones I enjoyed most were the one about MFA programs and if they are necessary anymore, and the last three parts about the individual artists, Dana Schutz, Mary Walling Blackburn, and Stephen Kaltenbach. I was pleasantly surprised that he chose 2 female artists to highlight.
I enjoyed reading this book, but I'm not sure it really answered any questions about the contemporary art world, in fact it left everything pretty open-ended. But that's art for you.
June 13, 2016
Enjoyed this quite a lot. Smart discussions of art and economics and culture - reminded me a bit of Sarah Thornton's SEVEN DAYS IN THE ART WORLD structurally, which is not a bad thing at all.
May 24, 2020
An even-handed canvass of the state of contemporary art from an insider. Sections include a visit to an MFA critique session, a visit to a "might-as-well-be-Mongolia-as-far-as-the-art-world-is-concerned" Milwaukee art scene, a medium depth look at an artist who has definitely made it, and a look at conceptual artists who have their cake and document it too.
I knew that I was simpatico with him early on in the book when he noticed that undergraduate artists really try very hard to dress wacky and act like "artists" and that art grad students could sometimes be mistaken for any other grad student at a college. That was my experience exactly. I kinda know where it comes from - an undergrad has the desire but is so unfocused due to their relative immaturity. But the "act" - oh, they can do that!
And that "act" or "pose" is reflected in a lot of the sections in the book. Being an artist is essentially acting a part. When you are in your studio, you have to adopt the mindset that normal life isn't set up for - like you are on your stage that you built yourself. The conceptualist section really honed in on that, as well as some of the discussion with Dana Schutz.
I knew that I was simpatico with him early on in the book when he noticed that undergraduate artists really try very hard to dress wacky and act like "artists" and that art grad students could sometimes be mistaken for any other grad student at a college. That was my experience exactly. I kinda know where it comes from - an undergrad has the desire but is so unfocused due to their relative immaturity. But the "act" - oh, they can do that!
And that "act" or "pose" is reflected in a lot of the sections in the book. Being an artist is essentially acting a part. When you are in your studio, you have to adopt the mindset that normal life isn't set up for - like you are on your stage that you built yourself. The conceptualist section really honed in on that, as well as some of the discussion with Dana Schutz.
August 29, 2017
Great book to understand trends and movements of the contemporary art and art marketplace. Yes, two very different things that in conjunction define what is relevant (or at least should be such) for contemporary art lovers and buyers. White gives extremely lucid account of different movements of the 20th century art such as abstract expressionism, conceptualism, neoexpressionism and writes about them with enough detail to give a very rounded impression without overwhelming his reader with information (which happens a lot with art writing today).In short, if you want to get a grip on the contemporary art and its major players this is your chance.
December 6, 2017
A decent description of the current lived experience within Contemporary art. More current than other books in this sub-genre, and more reflective on different practices within the USA (including regionalism). This is definitely a cultural studies book as opposed to an art history book, so set your expectations correctly.
March 19, 2017
An easy read with an very measured voice (much more measured than my own) on contemporary art. Pair it with Seven Days in the Art World by Sarah Thornton.
April 26, 2016
This book gets off to a killer, 5-star start, as the author recounts his time evaluating graduate level student work at a prominent college. The second chapter looks at the question of agency - the questions of factory-produced art and, if art is created solely by assistants, can another artist truly lay claim to it? Fascinating stuff, and the author's voice is conversational and very readable.
Unfortunately, the chapters that follow devolve into art-speak, with the requisite name-dropping, obscure references and convoluted prose that appears to be saying something insightful, when in fact it isn't saying anything comprehensible. The topics also become more myopic, focusing on single artists or movements, and the prose bogs down accordingly.
A great start, a disappointing finish. Interesting, but it ultimately begins to feel like homework.
Unfortunately, the chapters that follow devolve into art-speak, with the requisite name-dropping, obscure references and convoluted prose that appears to be saying something insightful, when in fact it isn't saying anything comprehensible. The topics also become more myopic, focusing on single artists or movements, and the prose bogs down accordingly.
A great start, a disappointing finish. Interesting, but it ultimately begins to feel like homework.
February 6, 2017
Roger White takes us on a journeys within the rising industry of contemporary Art in North America. Similar in structure to Sarah Thornton's works it explored through adventures of the protagonists such as students, art workers and performance artists. However the journeys felt merely documented and not long considered or digested. White weighed in few opinions or insights, perhaps that is his intended approach but I picked up and put down this book desiring further artistic opinion upon all addressed fronts.
July 6, 2015
I liked Sarah Thornton's book 33 Artists in 3 Acts better. I did get through Roger White's book. Each chapter had a different slant so it wasn't repetitive.
"Contemporary art is a time machine set exactly one second ahead of the present. Contemporary art is a sphere whose circumference is everywhere and whose centre is unaffordable."
"Contemporary art is a time machine set exactly one second ahead of the present. Contemporary art is a sphere whose circumference is everywhere and whose centre is unaffordable."
December 4, 2015
Captures the rhetorical mania of contemporary art and the demoralizing hold capitalism has on it. It reads more like an Ionesco play set in a gallery, museum or MFA program than a "Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, etc.' Vasari would be bewildered by (/disgusted with) the Contemporary Art world.
July 1, 2015
Very interesting survey of art as it is practiced in contemporary settings, from art school through practicing arts at the peak of their career. Heavy on Conceptualism. Heavy on art as it is practiced in social and living environments.
April 17, 2015
There were times when reading this book that I didn't know whether to laugh or to cry. The MFA critiques were especially enlightening. I am definitely a 20th century artist...
July 12, 2016
It was good to find out who is who these days.
December 19, 2017
I just zipped through this book for some reason. It was interesting, fast paced. I enjoyed the description of the art crit in an MFA program, it sounded familiar, but Im not sure what the point was. Are MFA crits pretentious and silly or a useful part of the process?
I also enjoyed the discussion of Milwaukee, and the last section on a conceptual art life.
Does this tell me much about the art world I didn’t already know? Meh.
I also enjoyed the discussion of Milwaukee, and the last section on a conceptual art life.
Does this tell me much about the art world I didn’t already know? Meh.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews