The Crisis of Criticism

Description

In this collection of essays on the nature of the art critic's authority and responsibilities, the contributors (critics, writers, curators and intellectuals) address questions such as whether some art is beyond criticism, whether there is such a thing as critical activism, and how critics can bridge the gap between a sometimes hermetic art community and the general public.

Maurice Berger is a cultural historian, art critic, and curator. He is Research Professor and Chief Curator at the Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture, University of Maryland, Baltimore County. A student of the pioneering theoretical art historian Rosalind E. Krauss, he completed a B.A. at Hunter College and Ph.D. in art history and critical theory at the City University of New York. Berger is the author of eleven books on the subject of American art, culture, and the politics of race. His writing on art, film, television, theater, law, and the politics of race have appeared in many journals and newspapers, including Artforum, Art in America, the New York Times, the Village Voice, October, Wired, and the Los Angeles Times. He has also contributed essays to numerous exhibition catalogs and anthologies.