The Transformation of the Avant-Garde: The New York Art World, 1940-1985

Diana Crane. University of Chicago Press, $22.5 (204pp) ISBN 978-0-226-11790-4

In this ``quietly devastating survey,'' Crane posits that most postwar avant-garde U.S. artists have redefined the content or techniques of art while creating works devoid of meaning. ``Despite its academic prose, this useful, disturbing study will reward anyone concerned with modern art,'' stated PW. Illustrated. (Sept.)

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