Synopses & Reviews
The simple question and#147;What is minimalism?and#8221; has defied simple answers. Artists known as minimalists have distinctively different methods and points of view. This highly readable history of minimalist art shows how artists as diverse as Carl Andre, Donald Judd, Robert Morris, and Anne Truitt came to be designated as minimalists during a series of exhibitions in the 1960s.
and#147;I can think of no book that even undertakes a comparable art historical accountand#151;not merely tracing a movement year by year, but showing how the movementand#8217;s consciousness of itself emerged.and#8221;and#151;Arthur Danto, Times Literary Supplement
and#147;Many skeptics deem the sixties too close for comfort and hence not suitable for an art history in the grand tradition. James Meyer proves them wrong. Minimalism: Art and Polemics in the Sixties establishes a historical precision and seriousness that many have thought lacking in the recent wave of writing about postwar American art.and#8221;and#151;Christine Mehring, Art Journal
and#147;By far the best account to date of Minimalismand#8217;s development and the essential point of departure for all future research on the subject.and#8221;and#151;Pepe Karmel, Art in America
Review
and#8220;Meyerand#8217;s writing is intelligent, informed, and subtle. The book is well produced and generously illustrated with good quality colour and black and white images.and#8221;and#8212;John A. Walker, Art Book
Review
and#8220;This new volume combines a sophisticated reading of the critical discourse surrounding Minimalism with a step-by-step history of the workand#8217;s development and its appearance on the public stage from 1961 through 1968.and#8221;and#8212;Pepe Karmel, Art in America
About the Author
James Meyer is associate professor of art history at Emory University.