Publications
Books
2022
Forms of Persuasion: Art and Corporate Image in the 1960s
University of California Press
March 2022, 320 pages
ISBN 9780520383562
Read more at UC Press
Pre-order on Amazon
Reviews
"Alex J. Taylor’s excellent and richly revealing Forms of Persuasion returns to the topic of art’s relationship to capitalism in the 1960s to uncover things most scholars have preferred to ignore—Warhol’s quiet acceptance of commissions, Big Tobacco’s willful organization of touring shows, and many corporations’ canny acquisition of abstract art for branding purposes. Through a wealth of fascinating stories, Taylor shows all the moves in the delicate dance shared by artists and corporate chiefs in a period of dissent."—Joshua Shannon, author of The Recording Machine: Art and Fact during the Cold War
"Challenging long-accepted verities about the nature of corporate sponsorship, Alex J. Taylor presents a series of shifting paradigms that reveal how the relationship between business and art was transformed by the end of the 1960s. This powerful book will reinvigorate the discussion of a phenomenon central to art culture until this day."—Nancy J. Troy, author of The Afterlife of Piet Mondrian
2007
Perils of the Studio: Inside the Artistic Affairs of Bohemian Melbourne
Australian Scholarly Press with the State Library of Victoria
2007, 216 pages
ISBN 9781740971492
Find on OCLC WorldCat
Reviews
"Taylor's incisive and elegant study, well written and with carefully chosen illustrations, has much to contribute... Taylor demonstrates that early twentieth-century Australian art can still yield new and engaging histories. His original and highly readable study offers many gems that give new perspective on aspects of modernism in Australia."--Art History, Volume 32, Number 3
“A well-researched deconstruction of some of the myths surrounding artistic life in early twentieth-century Melbourne... The popular image of the bohemian Australian artist conjures up and outdoor existence, either in one of the artists’ camps along the coast, or later, going bush with swag and easel. It is a major achievement of the book to expose the half-truth of this popular myth... His thorough study of the studio tracks the search for an artistic space, both literal and figurative, and makes very good reading indeed.”--Reviews in Australian Studies, Volume 4, Number 3
“Alex Taylor's historical survey of Melbourne artmaking of the first half of the twentieth century... takes a broad sweep of visual and textual material from high art to popular culture that reflects a consciousness of the 'artist' and 'art practice' as understood in Melbourne/Australia from the period roughly 1900-1945.... Taylor demonstrates that artists in Australia thought about art as a group and cumulative process, which generated cultural capital three or four generations before these ideas became commonplace.”--Artlink, Volume 28, Number 3
"Like the theatre backstage, the artist's studio has the look, sound and smell of the creative moment. For romantics, this is the place where genius ignites invention, where the down-to-earth mess of paints, brushes and canvas is transformed by an inspiring atmosphere. For historians such as Alex Taylor, however, the myth masks a different kind of reality: the social manoeuvring, economic strategies and self-conscious publicity of artists in search of a living... This study includes new documentation for a multitude of aspects of studio life, from controversies about female models and the curiosity of visitors, to the commercial employment of painters by advertising and display industries. Taylor also effectively establishes the dominance of the city studio in artistic practice, despite the purported Australian preference for working outdoors."--Australian Book Review, March 2008
Book Chapters and Articles
2020
‘Diplomatic Devices: Henry Moore and the Transatlantic Politics of the Time-Life Building,’ Sculpture Journal, vol. 29, issue 1, 7-25.
‘The Stones of Ivittuut: Extracting Stories from Rocks,’ Contemporaneity: Historical Presence in Visual Culture, no. 9, No. 1 (2020), 22-29.
‘Art and Economics Beyond the Market,’ American Art 33, no. 3, Fall 2019, 20-26. Co-authored with Sophie Cras and Maggie Cao.
2019
‘Rusting Giant: U.S. Steel and the Promotional Material of Sculpture,’ in Monica Jonanovich-Kelley and Melissa Renn (ed.), Corporate Patronage of Art & Architecture in the United States, Late 19th Century to the Present, Bloomsbury Publishing: New York, 2019, 206-224.
‘American Art under John Rothenstein, 1938-64,’ Modern American Art at Tate 1945–1980, Tate Research Publication, 2019.
‘Refiguring American Art,’ in Modern American Art at Tate 1945–1980, Tate Research Publication, 2019.
2018
In Focus: The Unknown Political Prisoner (Defiant and Triumphant) 1952 by Theodore Roszak, Tate Research Publication, 2018. Lead author with contribution by Robert Slifkin. Online project, 5 sections.
In Focus: String Composition 128 1964 by Sue Fuller, Tate Research Publication, 2018. Lead author with contributions by Frances Follin and Christina Weyl. Online project, 4 sections.
2017
‘Transnational Transactions: Trade, Diplomacy and the Circulation of American Art,’ American Art, Vol. 31, No. 2, Summer 2017, 89-95.
In Focus: Silo 1963–4 by James Rosenquist, Tate Research Publication, 2017. Lead author with contribution by Thomas Morgan Evans. Online project, 6 sections.
In Focus: Gift 1961–2 by Kenneth Noland, Tate Research Publication, 2017. Lead author with contribution by Molly Berger. Online project, 4 sections.
2016
In Focus: Black Wall 1959 by Louise Nevelson, Tate Research Publication, 2016. Lead author with contributions by Elyse Speaks and Mark Liebenrood. Online project, 5 sections.
‘Richard Artschwager’s Table and Chair,’ in Jonah Westermann (ed.), Performance At Tate: Into the Space of Art, Tate Research Publication, 2016.
2015
‘Henry Moore and the Values of Business,’ in Christopher Griffin and Jennifer Mundy (ed.), Henry Moore: Sculptural Process and Public Identity, Tate Research Publication, 2015. Online essay.
2014
‘The Calder Problem: Mobiles, Modern Taste and Mass Culture,’ Oxford Art Journal, Vol. 37, No. 1, 2014, 27–45.
2012
‘Unstable Motives: Propaganda, Politics and the Late Work of Alexander Calder,’ American Art, Spring 2012, Vol. 26, No. 1, March 2012, 24–47.
(Awarded Terra Foundation for American Art International Essay Prize)
2009
‘Wolseley’s Lines,’ in Jeanette Hoorn (ed.), Reframing Darwin: Evolution and Art in Australia, Melbourne: Melbourne University Publishing, 2009, 198-209.
Catalogue Essays
2021
‘Something in the Web of It,’ Haim Steinbach: 1991-1993, Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York, 2021, 1-8. Online catalogue.
‘Wolf Kahn and the Structure of Landscape,’ Wolf Kahn: The Last Decade 2010-2020, New York: Miles McEnery Gallery, 2021, 3-13.
2020
‘Even in Australia, There I Am,’ Adrienne Doig: It’s All About Me, Bathurst: Bathurst Regional Art Gallery, 2020, 35.
2019
‘Optics: James Rosenquist and the Politics of Vision,’ James Rosenquist: Visualizing the Sixties, London: Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, 2019, 12-41.
‘Mobilizing Connections,’ Metal from Clay: Pittsburgh’s Aluminum Stories, Pittsburgh: University Art Gallery, 2019, 6-11.
‘Before Clapp: The Drawings of Mary Burgwin Denny,’ The Curious Drawings of Doctor Clapp, Pittsburgh: University Art Gallery, 2019, 36-38.
2018
‘Alexander Calder’s Industrial Revolution,’ in Anne Grace and Elizabeth Hutton Turner (ed.), Alexander Calder: Radical Inventor, Montreal: Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, 2018, 181-185.
‘Confronting a Collection,’ in This is Not Ideal: Gender Myths and Their Transformation, Pittsburgh: University Art Gallery, 2018, 4-9.
2017
‘Our Synthetic Environment: The Political Landscapes of Allan D’Arcangelo,’ Allan D’Arcangelo: Without Sound, 1974-1982, Garth Greenan Gallery, New York, 2017, 4-12.
2016
‘Picture Notes’ (Selected catalogue entries), Christopher Riopelle (ed.), Australia’s Impressionists, National Gallery, London, 110-119.
2015
‘Calder’s Carnival,’ in Achim Borchardt-Hume (ed.), Alexander Calder: Performing Sculpture, Tate Publishing, London, 2015, 33-41.
2012
‘Gumtree Diplomats,’ in Lie of the Land: New Australian Landscapes, Embassy of Australia, Washington, D.C., 7-16.
2007
‘Home Before Dark’ in Katie Jacobs: Domestic Flights, Bus Gallery, Melbourne.
‘What do you call good video art?’ in Loop: New Australian Video Art, Hamilton Art Gallery, Victoria.
‘The Spectacle of Transcendence,’ Tim Webster: Machu Picchu, Seventh Gallery, Melbourne.
2004
‘120 Degrees of Separation,’ 120 Degrees of Separation, Linden Centre for Contemporary Art, Melbourne.
2003
‘Drama is Conflict,’ Drama is Conflict, Linden Centre for Contemporary Art, Melbourne.
Reviews and Criticism
2019
‘Mr. Magoo and Modern Art’ (Book review of Dan Bashara, Cartoon Vision: UPA Animation and Post-War Aesthetics), Oxford Art Journal, Volume 42, Issue 3, December 2019, 412-414.
2017
‘Modern Art in America’ (Book review of William C. Agee, Modern Art in America 1908-68), The Burlington Magazine 159, no. 1377, June 2007, 485-6.
‘Andy Warhol: My Perfect Body’ (Exhibition review), Art News, Summer 2017, 130-2.
2015
‘Impure Modernism’ (Book review of Nancy J. Troy, The Afterlife of Piet Mondrian), Art History, v.38, no.1, February 2015, 230–233.
2011
‘Father Figure: Reassessing Henry Moore and his Australian Influences,’ Art Monthly Australia, Issue 239, May 2011, 30-32.
‘The Merchandise of Venice’ (Exhibition review), Art Monthly Australia, Issue 242, September 2011, 44–45.
2009
‘Gareth Sampson’ (Exhibition review), Eyeline, no. 69, Spring 2009, 65.
2008
‘Dale Hickey: Life in a Box’ (Exhibition review), Eyeline, no. 66, Autumn/Winter 2008, 64.
2006
‘Dark, Shiny: Noel Skrzypczak’ (Exhibition review), Eyeline, no. 62, Summer 2006, 10.
2005
‘Tapping the Drip: Noel Skrzypczak and Guy Benfield,’ Eyeline, no. 56,
Summer 2005, 9.
2004
‘Flatness Packed,’ Artlink 24, no. 2, June 2004, 22-25.
2003
‘Habitat: Callum Morton’ (exhibition review), Artlink 23, no. 3, September 2003, 86-87.
2013
‘Jan Flook: Recycology’ (exhibition review), Artlink 23, no. 1, March 2003, 88.
2022
Forms of Persuasion: Art and Corporate Image in the 1960s
University of California Press
March 2022, 320 pages
ISBN 9780520383562
Read more at UC Press
Pre-order on Amazon
Reviews
"Alex J. Taylor’s excellent and richly revealing Forms of Persuasion returns to the topic of art’s relationship to capitalism in the 1960s to uncover things most scholars have preferred to ignore—Warhol’s quiet acceptance of commissions, Big Tobacco’s willful organization of touring shows, and many corporations’ canny acquisition of abstract art for branding purposes. Through a wealth of fascinating stories, Taylor shows all the moves in the delicate dance shared by artists and corporate chiefs in a period of dissent."—Joshua Shannon, author of The Recording Machine: Art and Fact during the Cold War
"Challenging long-accepted verities about the nature of corporate sponsorship, Alex J. Taylor presents a series of shifting paradigms that reveal how the relationship between business and art was transformed by the end of the 1960s. This powerful book will reinvigorate the discussion of a phenomenon central to art culture until this day."—Nancy J. Troy, author of The Afterlife of Piet Mondrian
2007
Perils of the Studio: Inside the Artistic Affairs of Bohemian Melbourne
Australian Scholarly Press with the State Library of Victoria
2007, 216 pages
ISBN 9781740971492
Find on OCLC WorldCat
Reviews
"Taylor's incisive and elegant study, well written and with carefully chosen illustrations, has much to contribute... Taylor demonstrates that early twentieth-century Australian art can still yield new and engaging histories. His original and highly readable study offers many gems that give new perspective on aspects of modernism in Australia."--Art History, Volume 32, Number 3
“A well-researched deconstruction of some of the myths surrounding artistic life in early twentieth-century Melbourne... The popular image of the bohemian Australian artist conjures up and outdoor existence, either in one of the artists’ camps along the coast, or later, going bush with swag and easel. It is a major achievement of the book to expose the half-truth of this popular myth... His thorough study of the studio tracks the search for an artistic space, both literal and figurative, and makes very good reading indeed.”--Reviews in Australian Studies, Volume 4, Number 3
“Alex Taylor's historical survey of Melbourne artmaking of the first half of the twentieth century... takes a broad sweep of visual and textual material from high art to popular culture that reflects a consciousness of the 'artist' and 'art practice' as understood in Melbourne/Australia from the period roughly 1900-1945.... Taylor demonstrates that artists in Australia thought about art as a group and cumulative process, which generated cultural capital three or four generations before these ideas became commonplace.”--Artlink, Volume 28, Number 3
"Like the theatre backstage, the artist's studio has the look, sound and smell of the creative moment. For romantics, this is the place where genius ignites invention, where the down-to-earth mess of paints, brushes and canvas is transformed by an inspiring atmosphere. For historians such as Alex Taylor, however, the myth masks a different kind of reality: the social manoeuvring, economic strategies and self-conscious publicity of artists in search of a living... This study includes new documentation for a multitude of aspects of studio life, from controversies about female models and the curiosity of visitors, to the commercial employment of painters by advertising and display industries. Taylor also effectively establishes the dominance of the city studio in artistic practice, despite the purported Australian preference for working outdoors."--Australian Book Review, March 2008
Book Chapters and Articles
2020
‘Diplomatic Devices: Henry Moore and the Transatlantic Politics of the Time-Life Building,’ Sculpture Journal, vol. 29, issue 1, 7-25.
‘The Stones of Ivittuut: Extracting Stories from Rocks,’ Contemporaneity: Historical Presence in Visual Culture, no. 9, No. 1 (2020), 22-29.
‘Art and Economics Beyond the Market,’ American Art 33, no. 3, Fall 2019, 20-26. Co-authored with Sophie Cras and Maggie Cao.
2019
‘Rusting Giant: U.S. Steel and the Promotional Material of Sculpture,’ in Monica Jonanovich-Kelley and Melissa Renn (ed.), Corporate Patronage of Art & Architecture in the United States, Late 19th Century to the Present, Bloomsbury Publishing: New York, 2019, 206-224.
‘American Art under John Rothenstein, 1938-64,’ Modern American Art at Tate 1945–1980, Tate Research Publication, 2019.
‘Refiguring American Art,’ in Modern American Art at Tate 1945–1980, Tate Research Publication, 2019.
2018
In Focus: The Unknown Political Prisoner (Defiant and Triumphant) 1952 by Theodore Roszak, Tate Research Publication, 2018. Lead author with contribution by Robert Slifkin. Online project, 5 sections.
In Focus: String Composition 128 1964 by Sue Fuller, Tate Research Publication, 2018. Lead author with contributions by Frances Follin and Christina Weyl. Online project, 4 sections.
2017
‘Transnational Transactions: Trade, Diplomacy and the Circulation of American Art,’ American Art, Vol. 31, No. 2, Summer 2017, 89-95.
In Focus: Silo 1963–4 by James Rosenquist, Tate Research Publication, 2017. Lead author with contribution by Thomas Morgan Evans. Online project, 6 sections.
In Focus: Gift 1961–2 by Kenneth Noland, Tate Research Publication, 2017. Lead author with contribution by Molly Berger. Online project, 4 sections.
2016
In Focus: Black Wall 1959 by Louise Nevelson, Tate Research Publication, 2016. Lead author with contributions by Elyse Speaks and Mark Liebenrood. Online project, 5 sections.
‘Richard Artschwager’s Table and Chair,’ in Jonah Westermann (ed.), Performance At Tate: Into the Space of Art, Tate Research Publication, 2016.
2015
‘Henry Moore and the Values of Business,’ in Christopher Griffin and Jennifer Mundy (ed.), Henry Moore: Sculptural Process and Public Identity, Tate Research Publication, 2015. Online essay.
2014
‘The Calder Problem: Mobiles, Modern Taste and Mass Culture,’ Oxford Art Journal, Vol. 37, No. 1, 2014, 27–45.
2012
‘Unstable Motives: Propaganda, Politics and the Late Work of Alexander Calder,’ American Art, Spring 2012, Vol. 26, No. 1, March 2012, 24–47.
(Awarded Terra Foundation for American Art International Essay Prize)
2009
‘Wolseley’s Lines,’ in Jeanette Hoorn (ed.), Reframing Darwin: Evolution and Art in Australia, Melbourne: Melbourne University Publishing, 2009, 198-209.
Catalogue Essays
2021
‘Something in the Web of It,’ Haim Steinbach: 1991-1993, Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York, 2021, 1-8. Online catalogue.
‘Wolf Kahn and the Structure of Landscape,’ Wolf Kahn: The Last Decade 2010-2020, New York: Miles McEnery Gallery, 2021, 3-13.
2020
‘Even in Australia, There I Am,’ Adrienne Doig: It’s All About Me, Bathurst: Bathurst Regional Art Gallery, 2020, 35.
2019
‘Optics: James Rosenquist and the Politics of Vision,’ James Rosenquist: Visualizing the Sixties, London: Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, 2019, 12-41.
‘Mobilizing Connections,’ Metal from Clay: Pittsburgh’s Aluminum Stories, Pittsburgh: University Art Gallery, 2019, 6-11.
‘Before Clapp: The Drawings of Mary Burgwin Denny,’ The Curious Drawings of Doctor Clapp, Pittsburgh: University Art Gallery, 2019, 36-38.
2018
‘Alexander Calder’s Industrial Revolution,’ in Anne Grace and Elizabeth Hutton Turner (ed.), Alexander Calder: Radical Inventor, Montreal: Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, 2018, 181-185.
‘Confronting a Collection,’ in This is Not Ideal: Gender Myths and Their Transformation, Pittsburgh: University Art Gallery, 2018, 4-9.
2017
‘Our Synthetic Environment: The Political Landscapes of Allan D’Arcangelo,’ Allan D’Arcangelo: Without Sound, 1974-1982, Garth Greenan Gallery, New York, 2017, 4-12.
2016
‘Picture Notes’ (Selected catalogue entries), Christopher Riopelle (ed.), Australia’s Impressionists, National Gallery, London, 110-119.
2015
‘Calder’s Carnival,’ in Achim Borchardt-Hume (ed.), Alexander Calder: Performing Sculpture, Tate Publishing, London, 2015, 33-41.
2012
‘Gumtree Diplomats,’ in Lie of the Land: New Australian Landscapes, Embassy of Australia, Washington, D.C., 7-16.
2007
‘Home Before Dark’ in Katie Jacobs: Domestic Flights, Bus Gallery, Melbourne.
‘What do you call good video art?’ in Loop: New Australian Video Art, Hamilton Art Gallery, Victoria.
‘The Spectacle of Transcendence,’ Tim Webster: Machu Picchu, Seventh Gallery, Melbourne.
2004
‘120 Degrees of Separation,’ 120 Degrees of Separation, Linden Centre for Contemporary Art, Melbourne.
2003
‘Drama is Conflict,’ Drama is Conflict, Linden Centre for Contemporary Art, Melbourne.
Reviews and Criticism
2019
‘Mr. Magoo and Modern Art’ (Book review of Dan Bashara, Cartoon Vision: UPA Animation and Post-War Aesthetics), Oxford Art Journal, Volume 42, Issue 3, December 2019, 412-414.
2017
‘Modern Art in America’ (Book review of William C. Agee, Modern Art in America 1908-68), The Burlington Magazine 159, no. 1377, June 2007, 485-6.
‘Andy Warhol: My Perfect Body’ (Exhibition review), Art News, Summer 2017, 130-2.
2015
‘Impure Modernism’ (Book review of Nancy J. Troy, The Afterlife of Piet Mondrian), Art History, v.38, no.1, February 2015, 230–233.
2011
‘Father Figure: Reassessing Henry Moore and his Australian Influences,’ Art Monthly Australia, Issue 239, May 2011, 30-32.
‘The Merchandise of Venice’ (Exhibition review), Art Monthly Australia, Issue 242, September 2011, 44–45.
2009
‘Gareth Sampson’ (Exhibition review), Eyeline, no. 69, Spring 2009, 65.
2008
‘Dale Hickey: Life in a Box’ (Exhibition review), Eyeline, no. 66, Autumn/Winter 2008, 64.
2006
‘Dark, Shiny: Noel Skrzypczak’ (Exhibition review), Eyeline, no. 62, Summer 2006, 10.
2005
‘Tapping the Drip: Noel Skrzypczak and Guy Benfield,’ Eyeline, no. 56,
Summer 2005, 9.
2004
‘Flatness Packed,’ Artlink 24, no. 2, June 2004, 22-25.
2003
‘Habitat: Callum Morton’ (exhibition review), Artlink 23, no. 3, September 2003, 86-87.
2013
‘Jan Flook: Recycology’ (exhibition review), Artlink 23, no. 1, March 2003, 88.