All of a Sudden: Things that Matter in Contemporary Art

Since the mid-1990s, contemporary art has been booming like never before. There is more of everything—more artists, more collectors, more galleries, more art fairs, more museums, more biennials . . . with one exception: criteria with which the art of the moment can be understood, judged, praised and, if need be, damned.

Jörg Heiser, co-editor of frieze magazine, provides a sharp summary of contemporary art since Marcel Duchamp. Using many artworks as example, the author identifies some central ideas and artistic methods that seem important for understanding what fuels art’s progress into the future.