Curationism by David Balzer

Curationism by David Balzer

A criticism of the saturation of the 'curator' in art, business and everyday life

'Balzer writes with zest, scepticism and sly humour as he tracks the rise of the 'star curator' as marking the end of any possible avant-gardeCurationism is a memorable exploration that will change how you see so many daily activities. I loved this brilliant book.'

-- Sheila Heti, author of How Should a Person Be?

'Point[s] out how far we have come from the original avatars of the term: the curatores'

-- Hal Foster, London Review of Books

'A book you should read. Balzer traces the history and current hegemony of curationism—a practice of jumped-up interior decorators who double as priests explaining the gospel to the unlettered masses. A good read, if you don't mind reading things that you don't want to know'

-- Dave Hickey, art and culture critic

'An insightful, provocative and entertaining overview of many of the key issues in both art and cultural life today'

-- Art Review

'Curationism is increasingly persuasive as it nears the present. The best sections concern the rise of conceptual art from the 1950s onwards, the rise of international high finance, and the merging of the two'

-- Spectator

'A polemical account of what curators do and why not everyone is one'

-- Monocle Magazine

'A fast but deep account of the rise of the curator through the art world into popular culture'

-- The Globe and Mail

'Game-changing'

-- moMus

Best Art Books of the Year

-- Sky Goodden, National Post

'The kind of book I crave ... a beautiful, useful, and timely book'

-- Scrivener Creative Review

David Balzer is a writer, lawyer, editor, and educator. He is the author of Contrivances (2012), Curationism: How Curating Took Over the Art World and Everything Else (2014), and This is Not New: Art, Culture, and the Promise of Change (2025). His critical writing has appeared in the Globe and Mail, The Guardian, Artforum, and Frieze. He lives in Canada.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780745335971
ISBN 10	0745335977
Title	Curationism
Author	David Balzer
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Pluto Press
Year published	2015-04-10
Number of pages	144
Prizes	Winner of ICA Book of the Year 2015 (UK)
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.