Booklist
Written for both art professionals and the interested general reader, the articles are clear and concise. Biographical entries (the majority) briefly list the artists' biographical data, main exhibitions, and characteristics of their work. The artists who were selected for inclusion "have made a particular impact and brought innovation to their field" and range from Henri Matisse, Auguste Rodin, and Alfred Stieglitz to Jeff Koons, Maya Lin, and Cindy Sherman. Artistic groups and movements are included, as are significant exhibitions such as the Documenta (held in Kassel, Germany, every four or five years) and biennales (held in various cities every two years).Concepts are reviewed when "they are exclusively and immediately connected to twentieth-century art."
Ample cross-references are indicated by a small arrow preceding the term in the body of the text, a device that interrupts the flow of reading more than the standard bold type or small caps but that nonetheless gets the job done. Titles of works have been translated when possible. The copious (though mostly very small) illustrations generally appear on the same page as the articles they illustrate. When this is not the case, the location of the plate in noted within the entry. Short bibliographic references are given at the end of each entry and refer to an extensive list of more than 3,000 full references at the end of the volume. There is no index, though the alphabetical entry format and cross-references generally obviate the need for one.
This dictionary is more current than The Dictionary of Twentieth Cen tury Art (McGraw-Hill, 1974), which is excerpted from the five-volume McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Art (1969).Good for quick general information on contemporary artists and movements, it is suitable for college and university libraries, as well as for high schools with a strong visual and plastic arts programs. REVWR
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