In this stunning new collection of texts on visual art, Peter Wollen explores an extraordinary range of topics, from an analysis of "Global Conceptualism" to a mind-bending study of "Magritte and the Bowler Hat", from Gerhard Richter to provocative texts on the work of artists such as Victor Burgin, Frida Kahlo, and Derek Jarman. Other essays deal with the relationships that have developed between visual art and other media, including one on the convergence of art and fashion, and another that explores the role of art and film in creating the American myth of the West. The collection also includes a study of Situationist attitudes to art and architecture, reflections on the relation between art and technology, and an essay on Museums and Rubbish Theory.

Peter Wollen's take on film in open, original and unexpected. These assays show his extraordinary range and inventiveness. Opening with a wry and knowing A-to-Z of cinema, they are Mr. Wollen at his best. * The Economist *
We are in a different realm of film-writing ... a world where debate is going on between cognoscenti. * London Review of Books *

Peter Wollen was Chair of the Department of Film, Television and New Media at the University of California, Los Angeles. His other books include Paris/Hollywood: Writings on Film and Paris/Manhattan: Writings on Art.