Art in the Age of Mass Media

John A. Walker

"John Walker examines the 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 introduction to the continuing debates between high art and...