The Body in Contemporary Art

Sally O’Reilly

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Paperback

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English

Thames & Hudson Ltd
09 October 2025

History of Art & Design Styles; Human figures depicted in art

Series: World of Art

A thorough international survey of the body's role in contemporary art, fully revised and updated.

The Body in Contemporary Art presents an international survey of art made since 2000 that takes the body as its focus. Examining such areas as nature and technology, identity politics and the grotesque, writer and critic Sally O'Reilly traces the body's movement from a subject to a live medium of art, and highlights how socio-political and cultural developments, from contemporary scientific breakthroughs to the Russian-Ukranian war, have all had a profound influence on representations of the human form.

From painting and sculpture to installation, video art and performance, O'Reilly reveals the myriad ways in which the body has inspired a generation of artists. Featuring the work of both renowned and up-and-coming figures, including Marina Abramovic, Hew Locke, Jenkin van Zyl, Shirin Neshat, Sarah Lucas and Shawanda Corbett, The Body in Contemporary Art shows how the human form continues to be pivotal to our understanding and expression of our place in the universe.

International in scope with colour illustrations throughout, this edition has been comprehensively revised, with an updated selection of artists and five new chapters covering topics such as: clothing, work and economics, the nude and illness.

By: Sally O’Reilly
Imprint: Thames & Hudson Ltd
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 210mm, Width: 150mm,
ISBN: 9780500205044
ISBN 10: 0500205043
Series: World of Art
Pages: 272
Publication Date: 09 October 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Sally O'Reilly writes for performance, print and video, and is a regular contributor to various art magazines including Art Monthly, frieze, Art Review and Time Out. She has written numerous catalogue essays for international museums and galleries, and was Writer in Residence at the Whitechapel Art Gallery (2010-11) and Modern Art Oxford (2016). O'Reilly has also curated and produced a number of performance events, both independently and as one of the founders of Brown Mountain College of the Performing Arts.