Art in Theory The West in the World - An Anthology of Changing Ideas

A ground-breaking new anthology in the Art in Theory series, offering an examination of the changing relationships between the West and the wider world in the field of art and material culture

Art in Theory: The West in the World is a ground-breaking anthology that comprehensively examines the relationship of Western art to the art and material culture of the wider world. Editors Paul Wood and Leon Wainwright have included 370 texts, some of which appear in English for the first time.

The anthologized texts are presented in eight chronological parts, which are then subdivided into key themes appropriate to each historical era. The majority of the texts are representations of changing ideas about the cultures of the world by European artists and intellectuals, but increasingly, as the modern period develops, and especially as colonialism is challenged, a variety of dissenting voices begin to claim their space, and a counter narrative to western hegemony develops. Over half the book is devoted to 20th and 21st century materials, though the book’s unique selling point is the way it relates the modern globalization of art to much longer cultural histories.

As well as the anthologized material, Art in Theory: The West in the World contains:

• A general introduction discussing the scope of the collection
• Introductory essays to each of the eight parts, outlining the main themes in their historical contexts
• Individual introductions to each text, explaining how they relate to the wider theoretical and political currents of their time

Intended for a wide audience, the book is essential reading for students on courses in art and art history. It will also be useful to specialists in the field of art history and readers with a general interest in the culture and politics of the modern world.

Paul Wood is Research Associate in the Department of Art History at the Open University. He has published widely in the field of art history and is co-editor of three previous volumes of Art in Theory, recounting the development of Western art from the Academy to postmodernism. 

Leon Wainwright is Professor of Art History at the Open University. He is the author of Timed Out: Art and the Transnational Caribbean (2011) and Phenomenal Difference: A Philosophy of Black British Art (2017). He has co-edited studies on modern and contemporary art, anthropology and museums. 

Part I Encountering the World 1

A Figures of Wealth and Power 9

B Across the Ocean Sea 40

C Scholarly Responses 66

Part II Enlightenment and Expansion 101

A The Orient in Fact and Fancy 109

B Curiosities and Colonies 137

C Changing Ideas and Values 172

Part III Revolution, Romanticism, Reaction 209

A History: Between Spirit and Science 215

B Visions of the Exotic 253

C Missionaries, Managers and Resistance 289

Part IV Modernity and Empire 325

A Enduring Fictions and Transformed Spaces 329

B Society, Evolution and the Idea of ‘Race’ 357

C Anthropology, Museums and the Origins of Art 393

D The World in View: Travellers and Teachers 428

Part V The Significance of the ‘Primitive’ 463

A Authenticity, Form and Feeling 467

B The Reach of Empire 494

Part VI In a World of Colonies 529

A Modern, Primitive, Universal 535

B Western Civilization: For and Against 565

C The Challenge of the Avant-Garde 612

Part VII Independence and the Postcolonial 661

A Resituating Theory and Politics 667

B Exhibitions, Museums and Histories Reimagined 706

C Beyond Modernism 746

D Asserting Identity 785

Part VIII The Global Turn 821

A Critical Revisions: Theory and History 827

B Diversity: Translation, Creolization and Identity 876

C Global Art and the Museum 930

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.