n the last fifty years, art criticism has flourished as never before. Moving from niche to mainstream, it is now widely taught at universities, practiced in newspapers, magazines, and online, and has become the subject of debate by readers, writers, and artists worldwide. Equal parts oral history and analysis of craft, What it Means to Write About Art

offers an unprecedented overview of American art writing. These thirty in-depth conversations chart the role of the critic as it has evolved from the 1960s to today, providing an invaluable resource for aspiring artists and writers alike.

Jarrett Earnest’s wide-ranging conversations with critics, historians, journalists, novelists, poets, and theorists―each of whom approach the subject from unique positions―illustrate different ways of writing, thinking, and looking at art.