Art criticism in the 1980s was highly influenced by market forces that somewhat changed the face of the art world. A mediocre show purchased by a wealthy investor or collector received disproportionate coverage in the New York press, particularly those glossy, four-color journals that were highly dependent upon the advertising dollars of galleries, auction houses, vodka companies, airlines and fashion designers. Lost in the coverage of market-driven art was that it was not necessarily the most advanced or even the most significant work of the decade.

This work provides an alternative viewpoint to the general American cultural discourse of the 1980s, showing that the real situation was not the exclusionary rhetoric of Postmodernism but was instead the conflict between late Modernism and Conceptual Art. The 24 essays range from discussions on Joseph Beuys and Allan Kaprow to studies of French artist Tania Mouraud and Polish artist Jan Zakrzewski. It also includes a lengthy commentary on art and technology, along with a look at performance and installation art.