100 Works of Art That Will Define Our Age

In this impressive volume of 100 influential works produced since 1989—with paintings, sculptures, drawings, installations, performances, and video art from artists including Matthew Barney, Andreas Gursky, On Kawara, Kara Walker, and Ai Weiwei—poet and art critic Grovier selects pieces that he believes are ahistorically legible while also reflecting “the essence of the generation that generated it.” In essays accompanying each selection, Grovier argues for “the resonance of a given work in social imagination,” using text from poets, philosophers, directors, and others to validate his prediction about the work’s longevity. Grovier also covers contemporary critical reception, places the work in the context of the artist’s oeuvre, points to historical antecedents, and notes unintended consequences, such as the foiled bomb plot that involved Jeff Koons’s 1992 sculpture “Puppy.” While the author’s deftly woven and poetically phrased analyses smartly contextualize his choices, the book’s loose organization proves distracting. Broad philosophical questions about art, such as “Can art escape itself?” with an accompanying quote purporting to answer the question tend to undermines Grovier’s meticulous translation of philosophical zeitgeist for general readers. Overall, Grovier provides an ambitious and convincing survey of contemporary art that hovers delightfully between criticism, history, and an art lover’s poetic tribute. 242 illus., 223 in color. (Nov.)