This is one of the first books to seriously confront the traditions of modernism by examining the social issues in the contemporary art scene, and describing the moral and economic setting in which the production of art occurs. Gablik explores the origins of art-making in the practice of gift-giving, and proceeds to decry the erosion of the spiritual element in contemporary art. "A thoughtful and sometimes scathing analysis of late-twentieth-century art."--The New Yorker. This is a book that should be read by all who seek a critical understanding of the postmodern aesthetic theory.