Why Art Criticism? A Reader

Contemporary theorists discuss the unique achievements and virtues of their favorite art writers

This reader puts into conversation a diverse range of perspectives in art theory and history, with texts from the 18th century to the present. Editors Beate Söntgen and Julia Voss have invited art theorists from various backgrounds to discuss the art critics of their choice, choosing one example from their respective bodies of work to comment upon. How have these writers approached art criticism? What makes them extraordinary? What can we learn from their writings today?

Among the contributors are: Beate Söntgen on Denis Diderot; Johannes Grave on Clemens Brentano; Julia Voss on Bertha Zuckerkandl; Monica Juneja on Ananda K. Commaraswamy; Stephanie Marchal on Julius Meier-Graefe; Margarethe Vörhringer on Alexander Rodchenko; Valerija Kuzema on Sergej Tretjakow; Malte Rauch on Georges Bataille; Isabelle Graw on Francis Ponge; Juli Carson on Oscar Masotta; Monique Bellan on Victor Hakim; Astrid Mania on Mary Josephon; Beatrice von Bismarck on Lawrence Alloway; Michael F. Zimmermann on Allan Sekula; Florencia Malbrán on Marta Traba; Sarah Wilson on Roland Barthes; Isabel Mehl on Lynne Tillmann; Anna Kipke on Claire Bishop; David Mielecke on Aruna D'Souza; and many more.