In essays culled from three decades of critical writing, Donald Kuspit explores the aesthetic developments of the twentieth century, from post-impressionism to the latest permutation of post-Modernism. Ranging from Willem de Kooning to Andy Warhol to Sue Coe, this provocative anthology chronicles the distinctive voice of a formidable art critic whose reflections on art, artists, and art criticism constitute an eclectic exploration of the ways in which art and art criticism have influenced contemporary thought and psychology. The book's investigation into the social impact of artwork also reflects on the inner life of the artist.

Donald Kuspit, a professor of art history and philosophy at the State University of New York, Stony Brook, is the author of more than twenty books and numerous essays. He has earned fellowships from, among others, the Ford Foundation, the Fulbright Commission, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. He lives in New York.