Now that we 'curate' even lunch, what happens to the role of the connoisseur in contemporary culture?

'Curate' has become a buzzword, applied to everything from music festivals to artisanal cheese. Inside the art world, the curator reigns supreme, acting as the face of high-profile group shows in a way that can eclipse the contributions of individual artists. At the same time, curatorial-studies programs continue to grow, and businesses are adopting curation as a means of adding value to content. Everyone, it seems, is now a curator.

But what is a curator, exactly? And what does the explosive popularity of curating say about our culture's relationship with taste, labour and the avant-garde? In this vibrant book, David Balzer travels through art history to explore the cult of curation, where it began, how it came to dominate museums and galleries, and how it emerged at the turn of the millennium as a dominant mode of thinking and being.

Product Specifications

Author: David Balzer

Publisher: Pluto Press

Language: English

ISBN: 9780745335971

Format: Paperback

Length: 144 pages

Size: 12.9cm x 19.8cm