Art in the Age of Mass Media

Can fine art survive in an age of mass media? If so, in what forms and to what purpose? And can radical art still play a critical role in today's divided world? These are the challenging questions addressed in this thoroughly revised, updated and expanded edition of Art in the Age of Mass Media, as John Walker examines the fascinating relationship between art and mass media, and the myriad interactions between high and low culture in a postmodern, culturally pluralistic world. Using a range of historic and contemporary works of art to illustrate theoretical points, Walker explores the variety of ways in which modern artists have responded to the arrival of new, mass media. He ranges from the socialist paintings of Courbet to the anti-Nazi photomontages of Heartfield, from community murals and Keith Haring's use of graffiti to the kitsch self-promotion associated with Jeff Koons. The new edition describes what happened during the 1990s, including Toscani's adverts for Benetton, the simulations of Leeds 13, art and cinema, Damien Hirst, and the cyberart currently being produced for the internet. Art in the Age of Mass Media is an invaluable introduction to the continuing debates between high art and low culture for students of media and cultural studies and art history.

John A Walker is the author of a number of books on art theory and aspects of popular culture. His previous Pluto titles are Cultural Offensive: America's Impact on British Art since 1945, Art and Outrage and Design History and the History of Design.