Art in the age of mass media

John Walker examines the fascinating relationship between art and mass media, and the myriad interactions between high and low culture in a postmodern, culturally pluralistic world. He uses a range of historic and contemporary work to illustrate theoretical points, Walker explores the variety of ways in which modern artists have responded to the arrival of new, mass media. This ranges from the socialists paintings of Courbet to the anti-nazi photomontages of Heartfield, from community murals and Keith Haring's use of graffiti to the kitsch self-promotion of associated with Jeff Koons. All in all, Art in the Age of Mass Media is a valuable introduction to the continuing debates between high art and low culture.