Art today may seem perplexing at first with its divergent styles, forms, practices, media, and agendas. Michael Archer's intelligently argued survey is unique in revealing and making coherent sense of art practice from the past forty years-Pop, Minimal, Conceptual, Land, Performance, Body, and Installation-and myriad developments in the work of Warhol, Beuys, Bourgeois, and the many other artists whose works are discussed and illustrated here. The underlying themes that run through contemporary art, irrespective of styles and techniques, reveal the complex relationship between art and everyday life worldwide. This revised and expanded edition is brought up to date with discussions on the more comprehensive globalization of art since the mid-1990s, which can be seen in the growth of the exhibition calendar and the number of new contemporary art museums opening around the world. With over thirty additional illustrations and an updated timeline and bibliography, this book will prove indispensable to anyone interested in the evolution of modern art.