Danto and His Critics, 2nd Edition

It has been 30 years since the initial publication of Arthur C. Danto’s influential and award-winning treatise on the philosophy of art, The Transfiguration of the Commonplace. What is the current critical assessment of Danto and his body of work? And how have Danto’s own views changed on the nature and meaning of art? In this fully revised and expanded edition of Danto and His Critics, leading Danto scholars offer their updated critical assessments of the works and ideas of the Johnsonian Professor Emeritus in the Department of Philosophy at Columbia University and long-time art critic for The Nation. While Danto has authored several influential books and essays on the nature of knowledge, action, aesthetics, history, and mind, he is best known for his provocative thoughts on the philosophy of art. In addition to the many insightful essays featured in the first edition - along with responses by Danto - this volume contains five completely new chapters, numerous postscripts to the original essays, and a revised “Replies to Critics” section. And in a fascinating new afterword, Danto reflects on how his life as an artist before taking up philosophy shaped and informed his ideas.

By offering such a comprehensive, integrated, and incisive treatment of Arthur Danto’s work, the second edition of Danto and His Critics reveals great insights into the state of contemporary art from the mind of one of the major shapers of recent aesthetic theory.