This book covers the period 1878-2000, offering thought provoking commentary on some 120 years of experiments in being modern, and begins with the famous court case after John Ruskin accused James Whistler of ‘flinging a pot of paint in the public’s face’. But Michael Bird does not limit his perspective to a single artist or cause per chapter.
Andrew Lambirth
Why Tate Modern seems more like a playground than an art gallery
Britain’s shift from manufacturing to services was reflected in its art, and by the 1960s the message had become more important than the making
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