Art: 21 - Art in the 21st Century, Season Four

This series is fantastic. We are always saying that you don't really hear what is going on in the art world in the regular news. You have to make a concerted effort to keep up with what is being done. This series explores the vast world of art in the 21st Century and gives you first hand access to the artists and their thoughts and intentions. You would have to visit a lot of galleries and museums to learn this much about this many artists. You don't have to like everything you see but it is fascinating to see such a wide variety of artists all over the world and most of them you see working in their studios. It is a refreshing change from the brainless reality shows and inane sitcoms.

This series was purchased as a learning tool/ art appreication for residents (seniors) living in Assisted Living and Skilled Care. We have found this truly thought provoking and has lead to further discussion about art and what it means. I recommend this series. Michele Tarsitano-Amato, MA, ATR-BC Director of Creative Arts Therapy

I am a visual artist. When I need inspiration, and a reigniting of my flame, I watch an episode, and I feel anything is possible. This is also an educational show, providing viewers with ideas and tools to better their craft.

This whole series is just awesome. I first caught it on PBS and was hooked. It's so cool listening to artists and their mindset as well as projects they done. I also had a few 'wow' moments when a few of them had done projects I had thought I might like to do...

I like this series very much. Even for artists whose work I don't appreciate that much, I am always interested in the ways they talk about their work and the videos showing their studios and work practices. A good way to familiarize yourself with art work that you might not otherwise get to see.

useful document that is by turns informative, self important, inspiring, and obtuse. contemporary artists speaking for themselves. some of whom know how to talk, some who don't. some who shouldn't, and some who are thoughtful and eloquent. framed by sequences of abstract word salads that serve no particular framing function. an attempt to be erudite and populist at the same time, a kind of Toscanini radio series of contemporary visual art. how and why were these particular contemporary art stars chosen? what are the underlying messages of the invisible curators of the series? who are the intended audiences for the series? these questions are intentionally withheld under the cover of letting the art and the artists speak for themselves, yet hover there unexamined. the format, focused largely on artists at work on current projects, while maybe making "good" television, often elides how the current work fits into the large arc of the artist's' practice, and how their work fits into larger movements and contexts. kind of like film stars being interviewed on television about their latest release. interesting to note that a Google search for critical reviews of the series turns up only advertisements for the series and syllibi for college courses. that is a review in itself.

Good product.

A Modern Art DVD about various artists and their opinion and view of art in the world today.