In the decades preceding the Stonewall riotsmdash;in the wake of the 1948 publication of Alfred Kinseyrsquo;s controversial report on male sexuality and in the midst of a cold war culture of suspicion and paranoiamdash;discussions of homosexuality within the New York art world necessarily circulated via gossip and rumor. Between You and Me explores this informal; everyday talk and how it shaped artistsrsquo; lives; their work; and its reception. Revealing the ldquo;trivialrdquo; and ldquo;unseriousrdquo; aspects of the postwar art scene as key to understanding queer subjectivity; Gavin Butt argues for a richer; more expansive concept of historical evidence; one that supplements the verifiable facts of traditional historical narrative with the gossipy fictions of sexual curiosity.Focusing on the period from 1948 to 1963; Butt draws on the accusations and denials of homosexuality that appeared in the popular press; on early homophile publications such as One and the Mattachine Review; and on biographies; autobiographies; and interviews. In a stunning exposition of Larry Riversrsquo;s work; he shows how Rivers incorporated gossip into his paintings; just as his friend and lover Frank Orsquo;Hara worked it into his poetry. He describes how the stories about Andy Warhol being too ldquo;swishrdquo; to be taken seriously as an artist changed following his breakthrough success; reconstructing him as an asexual dandy. Butt also speculates on the meanings surrounding a MoMA curatorrsquo;s refusal in 1958 to buy Jasper Johnsrsquo;s Target with Plaster Casts on the grounds that it was too scandalous for the museum to acquire. Between You and Me sheds new light on a pivotal moment in American cultural production as it signals new directions for art history.
#2343169 in eBooks 2012-05-16 2012-05-16File Name: B00EHJ9LQO
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Ecopolis Now!By Mr. P. D. BurdonA magnificent study. In an age where eco-has become the necessary prefix in urban design and building; Downton is a breath of fresh air. He speaks to the best within us and offers not only hope; but a blue-print for achieving sustainable communities that are in touch with people and place. Downtons Ecopolis represents both a vast theoretical knowledge (detailed particularly in a chapter entitled weavers of theory) but also the wizened experience of an architect who seeks to implement the ideas he advocates. Included in this volume are accounts of three projects Downton has personally been involved in.Written in the lineage of Christopher Alexander Richard Register; Downtons Ecopolis is set to become a modern classic.Peter Burdon; University of Adelaide; School of Law