In this highly accessible introduction to American art since the 1970s, Linda Weintraub offers a brilliant exploration of some of the most important artists of the past decades, the themes that their work embodies, and the media that have been their primary vehicles. Some of the many provocative themes that Weintraub engages are those of self-eradication in Sophie Calle's work, gender equity in Barbara Kruger's work, and consumerism as expression in Haim Steinbach's work. through her expertise as a curator and educator, she introduces readers to the most challenging pioneers of the contemporary art world.