Performance in the Museum - (New Directions in Contemporary Art) by Pierre Saurisse (Hardcover)

About the Book

Based on original research including interviews with art professionals, Performance in the Museum provides a unique and fresh perspective on the museum's role in the development of performance art.

Book Synopsis

A comprehensive exploration of performance art's journey into the museum space. This insightful study charts the inclusion of performance in museums from the 1960s to today, offering a critical assessment of contemporary curatorial practice. How has this once anti-institutional art form found a home within museum walls?

Performance in the Museum delves into the staging, conservation, acquisition, and research surrounding performance art. Through detailed analysis of exhibitions and curatorial approaches worldwide, Pierre Saurisse reveals how museums have adapted to this unique medium. Discover the key moments that shaped the integration of performance art and gain a deeper understanding of its impact on cultural institutions. This is an essential resource for art historians, curators, and anyone interested in the evolving landscape of contemporary art.

Review Quotes

'In his fascinating exploration of the shifting dynamics between performance and institution, Saurisse transforms the fleeting and ephemeral into something lasting and tangible.' - Elmgreen & Dragset

'This is a powerful testimony to the potential of performance to disrupt and transform. Detailing frictions between the immaterial transmission of performance and the ideas of ownership upon which collecting institutions are built, Saurisse incisively spotlights artworks that have undone established museum practices. A multivalent account of art that has forged change within museums and redefined approaches to conservation and acquisition.' - Rosalie Doubal, Senior Curator, International Art (Performance & Participation), Tate

About the Author

Pierre Saurisse is a lecturer on the MA Contemporary Art course at Sotheby's Institute of Art, London and is the author of La mécanique de l'imprévisible: Art et hasard autour de 1960 [Mechanics of the Unpredictable: Art and Chance around 1960].