Hunters Point Press, 2024. Hardcover, 420pp., 7.5 x 9.5 inches

New

A definitive volume of writings by one of the most renowned art historians of the past century, Is Art History? brings together Svetlana Alpers’ contributions to the art historical discipline. Her writing spans over six decades: beginning with seminal essays written in examination of the constraints of the art historical discipline, including a foundational essay on Vasari (1960), “Is Art History?” (1970), “Style Is What You Make It” (1979) and “Art History and Its Exclusions” (1982); two never before published lectures and other unpublished public presentations; notable critical essays on art and recent texts on contemporary artists including Alex Katz, Catherine Murphy and Shirley Jaffe.

Is Art History? also includes new prefatory notes written by the author for this occasion, an unexpected introduction by her former student, the esteemed scholar-critic Richard Meyer, and an interview with the German author and critic Ulf Erdmann Ziegler. This extensive view of Alpers’ prolific and varied career appeals both to new readers in need of an introduction and to audiences familiar with her essential writing on the great European tradition of painting.

ISBN: 9798218206482