Curationism

'Balzer writes with zest, scepticism and sly humour as he tracks the rise of the 'star curator' as marking the end of any possible avant-garde. Curationism is a memorable exploration that will change how you see so many daily activities. I loved this brilliant book.' -- Sheila Heti, author of How Should a Person Be? 'Point[s] out how far we have come from the original avatars of the term: the curatores' -- Hal Foster, London Review of Books 'A book you should read. Balzer traces the history and current hegemony of curationism—a practice of jumped-up interior decorators who double as priests explaining the gospel to the unlettered masses. A good read, if you don't mind reading things that you don't want to know' -- Dave Hickey, art and culture critic 'An insightful, provocative and entertaining overview of many of the key issues in both art and cultural life today' -- Art Review 'Curationism is increasingly persuasive as it nears the present. The best sections concern the rise of conceptual art from the 1950s onwards, the rise of international high finance, and the merging of the two' -- Spectator 'A polemical account of what curators do and why not everyone is one' -- Monocle Magazine 'A fast but deep account of the rise of the curator through the art world into popular culture' -- The Globe and Mail 'Game-changing' -- Momus Best Art Books of the Year -- Sky Goodden, National Post 'The kind of book I crave ... a beautiful, useful, and timely book' -- Scrivener Creative Review