What is Contemporary Art History

Contemporary art history is a field in formation. As such, it is often contested and embraced, misunderstood and championed. Is contemporary art history a radical new field with a discrete set of practices, methodology and historiography? Or is contemporary art history simply a study of the present? Is the study of the contemporary relevant to other areas of art history? Is contemporary art history a model for other disciplinary approaches to the present? Throughout the term, this graduate seminar will discuss each of these questions. This course is open to students of all art historical periods.