Art criticism is spurned by universities, but widely produced and read. It is seldom theorized and its history has hardly been investigated. The State of Art Criticism presents an international conversation among art historians and critics that considers the relation between criticism and art history and poses the question of whether criticism may become a university subject. Contributors include Dave Hickey, James Panero, Stephen Melville, Lynne Cook, Michael Newman, Whitney Davis, Irit Rogoff, Guy Brett and Boris Groys.

Art criticism was once passionate, polemical and judgmental: now critics are more often interested in ambiguity, neutrality, and nuanced description. And while art criticism is ubiquitous in newspapers, magazines, and exhibition brochures, it is also virtually absent from academic writing. Here, James Elkins surveys the last fifty years of art criticism, proposing some interesting explanations for these startling changes.

This collection of essays and discussions examines the role of judgment in art writing within the context of a renewed interest in the efficacy and function of contemporary art criticism.

This is a guidebook for art students at the college level (BA, BFA, MFA, PhD). Compared to other books on critique, this book is more colorful, more engaging, and less formal. "James Elkins is one of the world's leading educators in the visual arts. In Art Critiques: A Guide, Elkins shines his bright light across the long overlooked shadowland of studio education. Beautifully written and easy to use, this book is an absolute must for art students and faculty alike." -George Smith, Founder & President, Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts. "Elkins introduces refreshing commonsense in the tired and tiresome activity of the critique of art works by students. A dissection geared to avoid or delay a future autopsy of the field, the book uses case studies that teach as much about "how to" as they do about 'how not to.' A nice and often funny exercise in debunking, Art Critiques: A Guide is also a fascinating analysis of the successes and failures in communication among people." -Luis Camnitzer, Professor Emeritus, State University of New York, and Pedagogical Advisor to the Cisneros Foundation.

'An introduction to art criticism' offers a thorough overview of art criticism as it has been practiced since the 1700s. The text is built around excerpts from the work of hundreds of historical and contemporary critics, including a substantial history of art criticism and chapters on the fundamental aspects of criticism and the formation of an individual voice.

History of art criticism - Describing and interpreting art - Judging art - Writing and talking about art - Theory and art criticism.

The study traces the development of art criticism in the context of the dynamic political changes of the period. Particular attention is given to the Salon exhibitions which provided a focus for both official and dissenting estimations of the state of French art.

Addresses the fundamental humanity and necessity of the visual arts : what they are about, why artists are indispensible, and why art and artists matter.

This text reviews feminist art strategies as they emerged in the late 1980s and early 1990s in America and the UK. It draws together the views of prominent practitioners, critics, academics and curators on a broad range of controversial issues. The central focus of the book is feminism's engagement with psychoanalysis and post-modernism and its aim of deconstructing the borders between art and craft, and theory and practice. Feminist politics in the art world are also investigated through discussion of the negotiations of feminist curators, responses to feminist exhibitions, issues surrounding pornography and the censorship of women's work, and the role of feminist teaching on fine art and design degree courses. The book covers a variety of art work, including installation work, painting, textiles and photography.

The New York Times film critic shows why we need criticism now more than ever Few could explain, let alone seek out, a career in criticism. Yet what A.O. Scott shows in Better Living Through Criticism is that we are, in fact, all critics: because critical thinking informs almost every aspect of artistic creation, of civil action, of interpersonal life. With penetrating insight and warm humor, Scott shows that while individual critics--himself included--can make mistakes and find flaws where they shouldn't, criticism as a discipline is one of the noblest, most creative, and urgent activities of modern existence. Using his own film criticism as a starting point--everything from his infamous dismissal of the international blockbuster The Avengers to his intense affection for Pixar's animated Ratatouille--Scott expands outward, easily guiding readers through the complexities of Rilke and Shelley, the origins of Chuck Berry and the Rolling Stones, the power of Marina Abramovich and 'Ode on a Grecian Urn.' Drawing on the long tradition of criticism from Aristotle to Susan Sontag, Scott shows that real criticism was and always will be the breath of fresh air that allows true creativity to thrive. "The time for criticism is always now," Scott explains, "because the imperative to think clearly, to insist on the necessary balance of reason and passion, never goes away."