This reader for the Open University's course on Modern Art: Practices and Debates presents a selection of key texts, including classic works from the 1930s to the 1960s, alongside contemporary writings, that introduce the reader to many issues on which critics and art historians have focused.

The traditional discipline of art history has been expanded and challenged by new insights and alternative perspectives, resulting in a series of wide-ranging debates on the status of art and its role in culture and history. This reader for the Open University's course, 'Modern Art: Practices and Debates', presents a radical selection of key texts. These include classic works from the 1930s to the 1960s alongside contemporary writings, introducing the reader to the whole range of issues on which critics and art historians have focused.