Visual Shock

In this lively narrative, award-winning author Michael Kammen presents a fascinating analysis of cutting-edge art and artists and their unique ability to both delight and provoke us. He illuminates America s obsession with public memorials and the changing role of art and museums in our society. From Thomas Eakins s 1875 masterpiece The Gross Clinic, (considered too big, bold, and gory when first exhibited) to the bitter disputes about Maya Lin s Vietnam War Memorial, this is an eye-opening account of American art and the battles and controversies that it has ignited.