Pop Art

by Lucy R. Lippard

Pop Art embodied the spirit of the 1960s. Despite its carnival aspects, its orgiastic color and giant scale, it was based on a tough, no-nonsense, no-refinement standard appropriate to its time. Here several critics, each involved in Pop Art, but with different backgrounds, vividly bring the movement to life. Lucy Lippard examines Pop's precursor and related styles, ranging from folk art, Surrealism and Dada, to Assemblage, Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns. Lawrence Alloway contributes a chapter on the development of pop in England; Nancy Marmer considers Californian pop; Nicolas Calas, a member of the Surrealist movement in the 1930s and 40s assesses Pop icons. 187 illus., 18 in color.

Genres: Art, Art History, History, Nonfiction

216 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1966

About the author

Since 1966, Lippard has published 20 books on feminism, art, politics and place and has received numerous awards and accolades from literary critics and art associations. A 2012 exhibition on her seminal book, Six Years: The Dematerialization of the Art Object at the Brooklyn Museum, titled "Six Years": Lucy R. Lippard and the Emergence of Conceptual Art", cites Lippard's scholarship as its point of entry into a discussion about conceptual art during its era of emergence, demonstrating her crucial role in the contemporary understanding of this period of art production and criticism. Her research on the move toward dematerialization in art making has formed a cornerstone of contemporary art scholarship and discourse.

Co-founder of Printed matter (an art bookstore in New York City centered around artist's books), the Heresies Collective, Political Art Documentation/Distribution (PAD/D), Artists Call Against U.S. Intervention in Central America, and other artists' organizations, she has also curated over 50 exhibitions, done performances, comics, guerrilla theater, and edited several independent publications the latest of which is the decidedly local La Puente de Galisteo in her home community in Galisteo, New Mexico. She has infused aesthetics with politics, and disdained disinterestedness for ethical activism.

Reviews

[Afrooz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Recueil des articles, pas bien traduit
Les peintures noire-blanc :(

[Bert Huisman]

17 boekw.

[Piper · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked some of the treatments better than others. Would have been much more legible if there were more coloured plates and they were better arranged

[Man-Dana Mohseni · Rating 2 out of 5]

Awfully boring book.

[Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a wonderful book looking at pop art c.1970. It is interesting to see how the artists were viewed 50 years ago and whose reputations have been sustained. For me, the most interesting "discovery" was Tom Wesselman. Hi s compositions seem very strong to me. His great american nude series was always tongue in cheek but without the self lacerating irony of an Andy Warhol. He does not show the development of a Lichtenstein. Yet this book ignores the context in which developed as a counterweight. The fifties proposed the artist as some kind of a prophet and denounced kitsch and mid cult. Also this was a period in which commercial graphic design was developing and becoming more interesting. So pop art appeared as a kind of freedom from can't. Yet pop art also carried its own baggage. It amazes me that with all of praise for Andy Warhol, I never see any discussion of pop art as it is related to camp, a form of homo sexual humor of the period. Nor do discussions of Andy Warhol get into his despair and the fact that he was away person who lived with his mother until she died. How can you talk about the philosophy of Andy Warhol without mentioning his attraction to the psycologically maimed. I fear I have moved away from the book and will just say my own attitude to Warhol is more Robert hughes than Arthur Danton.

[Jane · Rating 2 out of 5]

For me, coming from a self taught art perspective, and not having taken an art class since high school, this book was a little dense. So far I have concentrated on the chapters about what materials art is made out of, and why it is a big deal to make art out of a pair of jeans. The jury is not still out as to if this books density served its purpose. It didn't. I can't remember a stinkin' thing that I read about that I read this book to learn. Some of the names and searching on the web for books or sites that did explain the content of this style of art DID help me, so I am grateful that this book gave me a start. however, I think accessible is in these days and I will think twice before racking my brain over this kind of book.

[renee hunt · Rating 3 out of 5]

3-4
This book is a collection of articles by different scholars, providing a detailed overview of the development of Pop Art since its emergence as an independent movement. Its importance is underscored by the fact that it was published during the peak of Pop Art's popularity, with much of the information being firsthand. It has been immensely helpful for my master's thesis.
However, it must be noted that the arguments in the latter part of the book are somewhat challenging to read. Perhaps this is because they consist of art criticism articles from the time, which may have influenced the critics' objectivity and the overall depth of the discourse.

[Andy · Rating 1 out of 5]

A collection of stodgy essays on a very un-stodgy movement in art. Many of the reproductions are in muddy black and white, the most unflattering way to depict Pop Art. Get the Taschen books compilation instead.

[Matt 2D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great book filled with pop art classics such as Andy Warhol and many others.

[Helen (Eleni) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read!! Helps me with my thesis!!

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Acquired Feb 7, 2004
Attic Books, London, Ontario