Kelly Grovier Books

Sean Scully's paintings, known for their brushy stripes and rich colors, are widely admired, but his talents as a storyteller and commentator on art history are less recognized. This captivating book, based on extensive conversations with art critic Kelly Grovier, chronicles Scully's remarkable journey from homelessness in 1940s Dublin to becoming a leading abstract artist. Through poignant and witty reflections, he shares memories of his challenging childhood in London, his resilience against numerous rejections from art schools, and his rise to prominence in 1980s New York. The book features illustrations that showcase both the artist and his work, while exploring Scully's connections with past masters like Rembrandt and Rothko. It also examines his rejection of minimalism in the late 1970s, a pivotal moment in his artistic evolution. Interwoven with stories of struggle, loss, perseverance, and triumph, the narrative presents an intimate and surprising portrait of Scully. Additionally, the book encompasses his views on the art world, significant works, and broader themes of culture, politics, and philosophy, all conveyed with a raw intensity that mirrors his bold brushstrokes.

A new take on the history of art through the eyes of the international phenomenon that is Banksy.

A new way of appreciating art that puts the artwork front and centre, brought to us by one of the freshest and most exciting new voices in cultural criticism.

An extensive, accessible guide to the most groundbreaking and influential art from 1989 to the present The years since the collapse of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 have seen the rise of a new freedom to define art—Who makes it? Where can it be found? What is its commercial value?—and, consequently, the reevaluation of art’s place in society. Kelly Grovier surveys the dynamic developments in art practice worldwide since 1989, focusing on artists whose fresh visual vocabulary and innovation reflect these past turbulent decades. The book’s ten chapters examine the key themes in contemporary art—portraiture in the age of face transplants and facial recognition software, political activism, science, and religion, to name a few—by artists including Jeff Koons, Louise Bourgeois, Damien Hirst, George Condo, Marlene Dumas, Sean Scully, Cindy Sherman, Banksy, Ai Weiwei, Antony Gormley, Christo and Jean-Claude, Jenny Holzer, Chuck Close, and Cornelia Parker. A chapter-length timeline at the end of the book traces the evolution of art from 1989 to today by closely examining one key artwork from each year. Illustrated with the work of over 200 key artists, Art Since 1989 is a lucid and engaging look at what may prove to be one of the more tempestuous eras in human history, if not the history of art.

Just as Picasso's 'Guernica' or Gericault's 'Raft of the Medusa' survive as powerful cultural documents of their time, there will be works from our own era that will endure for generations to come. But which ones? Which contemporary artworks best capture the zeitgeist of the late 20th and early 21st centuries? This book, written by one of the new voices in cultural criticism, predicts which artists and artworks from the past two decades will come to define our age through their power to question, provoke and inspire

"Invented by Stone Age cave-dwellers and medieval conjurers, cunning conmen and savvy scientists, the colours of art tell a riveting tale all their own. Over ten scintillating chapters, acclaimed author Kelly Grovier brings that tale vividly to life, revealing the astonishing backstories in the history of art. Interwoven between these chapters is a series of features focusing on key moments in the evolution of colour theory - from the revelations of the Enlightenment to the radicalism of the Bauhaus - while reproductions of more than 100 carefully selected artworks help illuminate the narrative's twists and turns. The history of colour is an epic saga of human ingenuity and insatiable desire. Read this book and you will never look at a work of art in the same way again" -- Provided by publisher

Der Fokus liegt auf einem innovativen Ansatz, der die Relevanz eines äußerst populären Künstlers beleuchtet und dessen Einfluss auf die zeitgenössische Kunstwahrnehmung untersucht. Das Buch bietet tiefgehende Einblicke in die Kunstwelt und regt zur Auseinandersetzung mit aktuellen Themen und Trends an, die durch das Werk des Künstlers geprägt sind.