Thirty years ago Australian Aboriginal art was little more than a footnote to world art. Today, it is considered to be an important contemporary art movement, often promoted as being connected to a deep cultural past. Becoming Art provides a new analysis of the shifting cultural and social contexts that surround the production of Aboriginal art. Transcending the boundaries between anthropology and art history, the book draws on arguments from both disciplines to provide a unique interdisciplinary perspective that places the artists themselves at the centre of the argument.Western art history has traditionally regarded Aboriginal art as distanced from time and place. Becoming Art uses the recent history of Aboriginal art to challenge some of the presuppositions of western art discourse and western art worlds. It argues for a more cross-cultural perspective on world art history.

Also available in hardback, 9781845206567 GBP55.00 (December, 2007)

About the Author
Howard Morphy is Director, Centre for Cross-Cultural Research, The Australian National University.


Book Information
ISBN 9781845206574
Author Howard Morphy
Format Paperback
Page Count 256
Imprint Berg Publishers
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 460g