Dr. Virginia B. Spivey

About Dr. Virginia B. Spivey

Dr. Virginia B. Spivey is an art writer specializing in late 20th and 21st century art history and theory. She holds degrees in art history from Case Western Reserve University (M.A., Ph.D.). Now based in Washington D.C., she develops art history educational materials in addition to her scholarly work, which is currently focused on the relationship of performance to contemporary craft production.

Contemporary art, an introduction — Since 1960, artists have come up with countless ways to engage audiences on a huge spectrum of topics.

Contemporary Art, an introduction

Contemporary art, an introduction — Since 1960, artists have come up with countless ways to engage audiences on a huge spectrum of topics.

A-Level: Contemporary Art, an introduction

(L) Roy Lichtenstein, Girl with a Ball, 1961, oil on canvas, 60 1/4 x 36 1/4" (153 x 91.9 cm) (Museum of Modern Art, New York); (R) Detail of face showing Lichtenstein's painted Benday dots) — […]

A-Level: Pop Art

Frank Stella, The Marriage of Reason and Squalor, II, 1959, enamel on canvas, 230.5 x 337.2 cm (The Museum of Modern Art) — Though hand painted, this image’s regularity erased any sign of individuality or emotional investment in the work.

Frank Stella, The Marriage of Reason and ...

Donald Judd, Untitled (Stack), 1967, lacquer on galvanized iron, twelve units, each 22.8 x 101.6 x 78.7 cm, installed vertically with 9" (22.8 cm) intervals (MoMA) — Minimalism is discomforting to many viewers because it lacks any explicit meaning.

An introduction to Minimalism

(L) Roy Lichtenstein, Girl with a Ball, 1961, oil on canvas, 60 1/4 x 36 1/4" (153 x 91.9 cm) (Museum of Modern Art, New York); (R) Detail of face showing Lichtenstein's painted Benday dots) — Pop seems to glorify popular culture, but a second look reveals a critique of post-war marketing and consumerism.

Pop Art

Contemporary art, an introduction — Since 1960, artists have come up with countless ways to engage audiences on a huge spectrum of topics.

Contemporary Art, an introduction

Detail, Mark Rothko, No. 3/No. 13, 1949, oil on canvas, 216.5 x 164.8 cm (The Museum of Modern Art) — This post-WWII movement is characterized by non-objective imagery seemingly charged with personal meaning.

Abstract Expressionism, an introduction

Jeff Wall, A View from an Apartment, 2004-05, transparency on lightbox, 1670 x 2440 mm © Jeff Wall, used by permission of the artist, special thanks to Sandy Heller, The Heller Group, LLC (Tate, London) — At first glance this may seem to be an uncomposed snapshot of modern life. Think again.

Jeff Wall, A View from an Apartment

Fauvism, an introduction — The joyful, vivid, sensual paintings of the “wild beasts” had a dark side.

Fauvism, an introduction

Roman Ondák, Measuring the Universe, 2007, shown enacted at MoMA, 2009 — What happens when art intersects with life?

Performance Art: An Introduction

Faith Ringgold, Dancing at the Louvre, 1991, acrylic on canvas, tie-dyed, pieced fabric border, 73.5 x 80", from the series, The French Collection, part 1; #1 (private collection) — […]

Faith Ringgold, Dancing at the Louvre