Overview

Czech action art-a medium similar to performance art that does not require an audience-emerged out of the political and social turmoil of the 1960s. This movement has received little critical attention, however, as the Iron Curtain prevented its dissemination to an international audience. Here theorist and art historian Pavlína Morganová gives this art scene its due, chronicling its inception and tracing its evolution through to the present. Morganová explains the various forms of action art, from the ""actions"" and ""happenings"" of the 1960s; to the actions of land art that encompass stones, trees, water, or fire; to recent displays of body art; to the actions of the latest generation of artists, who are using the principles of action art in contemporary postconceptual and participative art. Along the way, she introduces the most prominent Czech artists of each specific niche, including Milan Knížák, Zorka Ságlová, Ivan Kafka, Petr Štembera, Karel Miler, Jirí Kovanda, and Katerina Šedá, and demonstrates not only the changes in the art forms themselves but also the shifting roles of artists and spectators after World War II. With over one hundred illustrations, Czech Action Art introduces this heretofore overlooked but fascinating art form to a global readership.

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9788024623177

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Reviews

The fact that this pioneering study breaks new ground is just one of its many merits. Morganova presents a nuanced overview of the genre of action art and its particular manifestations in the Czech lands. Her analysis combines local and global art historical and sociopolitical contextualization. --Amy Bryzgel, University of Aberdeen The fact that this pioneering study breaks new ground is just one of its many merits. Morganova presents a nuanced overview of the genre of action art and its particular manifestations in the Czech lands. Her analysis combines local and global art historical and sociopolitical contextualization. --Amy Bryzgel, University of Aberdeen

The fact that this pioneering study breaks new ground is just one of its many merits. Morganova presents a nuanced overview of the genre of action art and its particular manifestations in the Czech lands. Her analysis combines local and global art historical and sociopolitical contextualization. --Amy Bryzgel, University of Aberdeen The fact that this pioneering study breaks new ground is just one of its many merits. Morganova presents a nuanced overview of the genre of action art and its particular manifestations in the Czech lands. Her analysis combines local and global art historical and sociopolitical contextualization. --Amy Bryzgel, University of Aberdeen

The fact that this pioneering study breaks new ground is just one of its many merits. Morganova presents a nuanced overview of the genre of action art and its particular manifestations in the Czech lands. Her analysis combines local and global art historical and sociopolitical contextualization. --Amy Bryzgel, University of Aberdeen

Author Information

Pavlina Morganova is director of the Research Center at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague and a lecturer in art history at the Anglo-American University in Prague. Daniel Morgan has been translating from Czech for fifteen years.

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