The Critic's Part (Wystan Curnow Art Writings 1971-2013)

Wystan Curnow is New Zealand’s longest-serving and, arguably, most important art critic. This edited collection brings together a selection of his art writings from 1971 to 2013 to provide the first comprehensive overview of his practice. Selectively drawing on his considerable output, the publication features Curnow’s long-form essays that investigate the stakes for “high culture” in a “small province” like New Zealand. It includes major essays on key artists, including Len Lye, Colin McCahon, Billy Apple, Stephen Bambury, Max Gimblett, and Imants Tillers, and vivid reports on the contemporary art scene. Catalog essays and short reviews offer insightful readings of art and artists in all their material and conceptual specificity. Both a map of contemporary theory and practice and a cogent agenda for thinking through the implications and challenges of making art here, this compilation is an essential companion for anyone interested in New Zealand art as it has unfolded since 1970.