High Art Lite ─ The Rise and Fall of Young British Art

A writer and art critic, Stallabrass lectures at London's Courtauld Institute of Art. Originally published in 1999, his text offers an assessment of "young British art" (YBA)--also referred to by the author as "high art lite"--of the 1990s, its legacy in the 21st century, and what it reveals about the fate of high art as a whole in contemporary society. The text explores the success of YBA and the obsession of young British artists with commerce, mass media, and the cult of personality. The revised edition includes some updating and correction of errors in the original text, and features a new final chapter analyzing the end of high art lite as the leading tendency in British contemporary art, and the settling of some of its elements into an accommodation with new cultural and political powers. Illustrated with color photographs. Annotation c2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Julian Stallabrass is Reader in art history at the Courtauld Institute of Art.