Plato in L.A.: Contemporary Artists' Visions (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781606065747)

No thinker in the West has had a wider and more sustained influence than the ancient Greek philosopher Plato. From philosophy to drama, religion to politics, it is difficult to find a current cultural or social phenomenon that is not in some aspect indebted to the famous philosopher and the Platonic tradition. It should come as no surprise that contemporary artists continue to engage with and respond to the ideas of Plato.

Accompanying an exhibition at the Getty Villa, this book brings together eleven renowned artists working in a variety of media--Paul Chan, Rachel Harrison, Huang Yong Ping, Mike Kelley, Jeff Koons, Joseph Kosuth, Paul McCarthy, Whitney McVeigh, Raymond Pettibon, Adrian Piper, and Michelangelo Pistoletto--all of whom have acknowledged the role of Plato in their artistic process.

Featuring candid interviews with the artists, this volume begins with an essay by the critic and curator Donatien Grau that contextualizes Plato in antiquity and in the present day. Contemporary art, Grau demonstrates, is Platonism stripped bare, and it allows us to reconsider Plato's philosophy as a deeply human construct, one that remains highly relevant today.


Author: Donatien Grau
ISBN-10: 1606065742
ISBN-13: 9781606065747
Publisher: J. Paul Getty Museum
Language: English
Published: 05/08/2018
Pages: 112
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.70lbs
Size: 8.90h x 7.40w x 0.50d