Customer Reviews
Simply seminal - By: J. Taylor, 16 Apr 2008 
Summary : a fantastic resource illustrating & discussing a huge range of contemporary paintings, painting styles & painters
Reviewer : aging fine art student
I love this book & refer to it constantly. It is a treasure trove of images with comprehensive information about each painter & her or his work. The narratives, contributed by international artists, critics, curators & academics, cover influences & statements about the paintings as well as biographical information.
It's definitely a fairly detailed reference work rather than a coffee table book (if you want something to leave open looking trendy & knowledgeable something like Hoptman's 'Eight Propositions' might be a better buy). As a large, thick, heavy paperback I find it doesn't lie open well. The text is dense in a tiny font, making it quite difficult to browse, although the layout is attractive & the images large & very well reproduced.
I put off getting this for some time wanting to make sure that the books that I bought were those that I would enjoy & use regularly. I find that I go back to it several times a day at the moment for themes, research, techniques & the language of the current art scene. Sounds like its time I got a new book - but this reallly is a seminal work & exceptional value for money.
