John A. Walker (art critic)
John Albert Walker (1938–2023) was a British art critic and historian who wrote over 15 books on modern and contemporary art with an emphasis on mass media. He also wrote on design history methodology. Walker's books include Art since Pop (1975),[1] Design History and the History of Design with Judy Attfield (1990),[2] John Latham: The Incidental Person - His Art and Ideas (1994),[3] Cultural Offensive: America's Impact on British Art since 1945 (1998),[4] Art & Outrage (1999),[5] Supercollector: A Critique of Charles Saatchi with Rita Hatton (2000),[6] Left Shift: Radical Art in 1970s Britain (2001),[7] Art in the Age of Mass Media (3rd ed.: 2001),[8] Art and Celebrity (2003),[9][10] and Firefighters in Art and Media: A Pictorial History (2009).[11]
Walker was a Reader in Art and Design History at Middlesex University near London until retiring in 1999. He was trained as a painter at Newcastle upon Tyne.[11]
With regard to John Latham: The Incidental Person - His Art and Ideas (1994), John A. Walker wrote a contentious article on
In Art in the Age of Mass Media (2001), Walker writes thematic essays including how 'art uses
In Art and Celebrity, Walker offers five thematic chapters including 'Celebrities as Art Collectors and Artists' showing artworks by
In June 2009, Walker produced a limited edition Saatchi branding iron. Artnet.com reported that the iron is "an actual implement that can be used to burn the collector's name into wooden stretcher bars, if not into "artist's flesh, dead cows, sheep and sharks, etc... Promised soon are 'GOGO' (art gallerist Larry Gagosian) and 'JAY JOP' (art gallerist Jay Jopling) branding irons as well".[16]
Walker died in 2023, at the age of 84.[17]
References
- ^ Walker, John A. (1975). 'Art since Pop'. Thames and Hudson: London. Retrieved 28 June 2009.
- ^ Walker, John A. & Attfield, Judy. (1990). 'Design history and the history of design'. Pluto Press: London. Retrieved 28 June 2009.
- ^ Walker, John A. (1994). 'John Latham: The Incidental Person - His Art and Ideas'. Middlesex University Press (publisher). Retrieved 28 June 2009.
- ^ Walker, John A. (1998). 'Cultural Offensive: America's Impact on British Art since 1945'. Pluto Press: London. Retrieved 28 June 2009.
- ^ Walker, John A. (1999). 'Art & Outrage'. Macmillan (publisher). Retrieved 28 June 2009.
- ^ Hatton, Rita & Walker, John A. (2000). 'Supercollector: A Critique of Charles Saatchi'. Ellipses: London. Retrieved 28 June 2009.
- ^ Walker, John A. (2001). 'Left Shift: Radical Art in 1970s Britain'. I B Tauris & Co Ltd (publisher). Retrieved 28 June 2009.
- ^ Walker, John A. (2001). 'Art in the Age of Mass Media' (3rd ed.). Pluto Press: London. Retrieved 28 June 2009.
- ^ Walker, John A. (2003). 'Art and Celebrity'. Pluto Press: London. Retrieved 8 November 2009.
- '^ Walker, John A. (2003/09). 'Andy Warhol: Excerpts from Art and Celebrity. Art Design Publicity. Retrieved 8 November 2009.
- ^ a b Walker, John A. (2009). 'Firefighters in Art and Media: A Pictorial History'. Francis Boutle Publishers: London. Retrieved 28 June 2009.
- ^ Walker, John A. (Undated).'The perils of publishing'. Artnet.com. Retrieved 28 June 2009.
- ^ (22 June 2009). 'Re John Latham book: John A. Walker releases legal letters'. Art Design Publicity. Retrieved 8 November 2009.
- ^ Walker, John. A. (2001). Art in the Age of Mass Media (3rd ed.). Pluto Press: London, p. 164.
- ^ Walker, John A. (25 May 2009). 'The Art Historian: On Art and Celebrity' Archived 28 July 2009 at the Wayback Machine/Excerpt from Art and Celebrity. Art, Design and Publicity. Retrieved 28 June 2009.
- ^ (25 June 2009). 'Artnet News'. Artnet.com. Retrieved 28 June 2009.
- ^ Orman, Sophie (22 May 2023). "John Walker obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 May 2023.