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Conceptual Art After Modernism

Written by Robert Bailey

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220 pages, about 4 hours of reading

Art

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About this book

This study provides a new interpretation of art after modernism by foregrounding the importance of conceptual thinking as a pervasive force for change in art and art history since 1950. Robert Bailey shows how distinctions between art and art history gave way as conceptual thinking provided artists and art historians with a common means to reassess what art could be and do in the world. Bailey assesses the results of artful and scholarly inquiries combining creative activity with intellectual rigor to proffer new approaches to a variety of social and environmental concerns, ranging from questions about human identity—including race, class, gender, and sexuality—to activist efforts to redress everything from abortion access to migrants’ rights, to climate change. This book provides both a historical overview of these developments and close analyses of key works and texts, spanning 1950 to the present and encompassing broad geographic scope with special attention paid to Indigenous art. The book will be of interest to scholars working in art history and contemporary art.

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Reading guide

Themes, characters and key ideas in Conceptual Art After Modernism, written by Chaptra AI.

  • about 8 hours
  • advanced
  • Analytical
  • Scholarly
  • Insightful

Robert Bailey's "Conceptual Art After Modernism" offers a groundbreaking reinterpretation of art since 1950, positing conceptual thinking as the primary catalyst for change. The study argues that this intellectual framework dissolved traditional boundaries between artistic practice and art historical analysis, providing a shared methodology for artists and scholars to redefine art's purpose and impact. Bailey meticulously examines how this fusion of creativity and intellectual rigor has been applied to a diverse array of pressing social and environmental issues, from human identity and social justice to climate change. Spanning a broad historical and geographical scope, with a significant focus on Indigenous art, the book provides both a comprehensive overview and incisive close readings of pivotal works and texts, making it essential reading for contemporary art scholars.

“Conceptual thinking as a pervasive force for change in art and art history since 1950.”

Key themes

Conceptual Thinking as a Catalyst for Change
This is the central thesis of the book, arguing that conceptual thinking fundamentally reshaped art and art history after 1950. It served as a new paradigm that prioritized ideas over material form, enabling a radical reassessment of art's nature and function.
Blurring Disciplinary Boundaries (Art and Art History)
The book explores how conceptual thinking created a shared intellectual space, dissolving the traditional separation between artistic creation and art historical analysis. This allowed for a more integrated approach where artists engaged in scholarly inquiry and historians approached art with creative rigor.
Art as Social and Environmental Engagement
Bailey demonstrates how conceptual art, through its intellectual rigor, became a powerful vehicle for addressing a diverse range of pressing social and environmental concerns. This theme highlights art's capacity to move beyond aesthetic contemplation to active critical commentary and activism.

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How does Bailey redefine the relationship between artistic practice and art historical inquiry through the lens of conceptual thinking?

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