Contemporary Art

Phaidon Editors ​

Organised in an A-Z sequence by artist, the book features both well-known collagists including Njideka Akunyili Crosby; Ellen Gallagher; Peter Kennard; Linder, Christian Marclay; Wangechi Mutu; Deborah Roberts; Martha Rosler; and Mickalene Thomas, and a plethora of lesser-known names deserving of greater attention. Taking a broad definition – from analog cut-and-paste compositions and photomontages to digital composed imagery and animations – Vitamin C+ showcases 108 living artists who employ collage as a central part of their visual-art practice, as selected by 69 leading experts, including museum directors, curators, critics, and collectors.

Tony Godfrey ​

What does it mean?
Is it really art?
Why does it cost so much?

Kelly Grovier ​

An extensive, accessible guide to the most groundbreaking and influential art from 1989 to the present

The years since the collapse of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 have seen the rise of a new freedom to define art―Who makes it? Where can it be found? What is its commercial value?―and, consequently, the reevaluation of art’s place in society.

Phaidon Editors ​

Since the publication of the first Vitamin P in 2002, painting has continued to evolve and excite, with new generations responding to its historic importance and taking it in unexpected directions. A central pillar of artistic practice, painting also has enduring appeal, dominating the art market. Vitamin P3 takes the conversation forward, spotlighting more than 100 outstanding artists who are engaging with – and pushing the boundaries of – the medium of paint.

Sandra Bloodworth and Cheryl Hageman ​

Contemporary Art Underground presents more than 100 permanent projects completed between 2015 and 2023 by MTA Arts & Design. This ground-breaking program of site-specific projects by a broad spectrum of well-known and emerging contemporary artists has helped to create a sense of character and place at subway and commuter rail stations throughout the MTA system. Among the featured artists are Yayoi Kusama, Kiki Smith, Nick Cave, Ann Hamilton, Xenobia Bailey, Jim Hodges, Alex Katz, Sarah Sze, and Vik Muniz.

Margaret Iversen ​

The chance situation or random event–whether as a strategy or as a subject of investigation–has been central to many artists’ practices across a multiplicity of forms, including expressionism, automatism, the readymade, collage, surrealist and conceptual photography, fluxus event scores, film, audio and video, performance, and participatory artworks. But why–a century after Dada and Surrealism’s first systematic enquiries–does chance remain a key strategy in artists’ investigations into the contemporary world? The writings in this anthology examine the gap between intention and outcome, showing it to be crucial to the meaning of chance in art.

Sally O’Reilly ​

This international survey presents art made over the last two decades in which the human form is central. From painting and sculpture to installation, video art, and performance, it examines the roles played by the body in art, from being the subject of portraiture to becoming an active presence in participatory events.

Suzanne Hudson ​

This international survey of contemporary painting by a leading author features artwork from over 250 renowned artists whose ideas and aesthetics characterize the painting of our time.

The twentieth century brought radical changes in art―including the shift from modernism to postmodernism―which were accompanied by fierce debates regarding the place of painting in contemporary culture. Contemporary Painting argues that the medium has not only persisted in the twenty-first century but expanded and evolved alongside changes in art, technology, politics, and other factors, developing a unique energy and diversity.

Suzanne Hudson ​

This international survey of contemporary painting by a leading author features artwork from over 250 renowned artists whose ideas and aesthetics characterize the painting of our time.

The twentieth century brought radical changes in art―including the shift from modernism to postmodernism―which were accompanied by fierce debates regarding the place of painting in contemporary culture. Contemporary Painting argues that the medium has not only persisted in the twenty-first century but expanded and evolved alongside changes in art, technology, politics, and other factors, developing a unique energy and diversity.

Kristine Stiles and Peter Selz

First published in 1996, this irreplaceable resource has now been updated, revised, and expanded by Kristine Stiles to represent thirty countries and more than one hundred new artists. Stiles has added forty images and a diverse roster of artists, including many who have emerged since the 1980s, such as Julie Mehretu, Carrie Mae Weems, Damien Hirst, Shirin Neshat, Cai Guo-Qian, Olafur Eliasson, Matthew Barney, and Takashi Murakami. The writings, which as before take the form of artists’ statements, interviews, and essays, make vivid each artist’s aesthetic approach and capture the flavor and intent of his or her work. The internationalism evident in this revised edition reflects the growing interest in the vitality of contemporary art throughout the world from the U.S. and Europe to the Middle East, Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Australia.