Destination Art (Art Essentials)
In 2006 I published the first book on ‘Destination Art’, coining the phrase in order to provide a framework with which to present, discuss and promote artworks in which location is an integral ingredient, as is the journey to find them. The term also acknowledges and explores the often reciprocal dynamic that the artwork and its setting exert on each other.
Around 2003 I had noticed intriguing projects like these happening all over the world, but often in a quiet way, as many exist outside the formal museum and gallery environment. They needed someone to shine the light on them, but to do so, I had to give them a name and an identity. So, while Destination Art may not be a concerted group or movement per se, identifying, naming and defining an ‘-ism’ of sorts allowed me to draw attention to some amazing artworks.
I’m delighted to be publishing this new book about Destination Art for the Art Essentials series to continue my mission of spreading the word about these intriguing and inspiring art projects. The size and format of this volume means that the book can even accompany you on your journeys!
My book is a guide, or ‘grand tour’, of more than sixty amazing destinations with thousands of artworks from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries for both the intrepid art explorer and the armchair traveller. They have been selected to highlight some of the many different types of Destination Art that can be found, often in the most unexpected of locations. Massive land and environmental works, extensive sculpture parks, magnificent architectural follies, site-specific installations and even underwater sculpture parks are just some of the treasures featured. They have been created by a wide variety of makers and are the results of a wide range of motivations. All have fascinating stories behind them.
This engaging volume is a welcome addition to any armchair explorer’s bookshelf… Each of the chronologically arranged entries is accompanied by superb colour photography and an informative text that includes access information and directions – perfect for planning your next visit to one or more of these remarkable land and environment works, expansive sculpture parks or remote site-specific installations.
- David Trigg, Studio International, USA
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A perfect gazetteer for adventurous lovers of contemporary art
- Martin Gayford
Amy Dempsey’s Destination Art, a new book from Thames and Hudson, offers an immersive journey through landscapes across the world – brought to life through site-specific artworks. … In an era of increasingly ubiquitous digital interfaces with art and nature, it is hard to imagine the appeal of Destination Art diminishing any time soon. The projects showcased in this book offer us the chance of immersive, multi-sensory encounters with place, of a kind that will have an increasingly rare and precious appeal.
- Greg Thomas, Aesthetica Magazine, UK & USA
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Art et paysage nous embarque pour un tour du monde du land art.
- ELLE Magazine, France
Avec ce guide concocté par Amy Dempsey, le dépaysement commence rien qu’en feuilletant les pages.
- LA CROIX, France
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Ce que nous propose Amy Dempsey, à travers cet ouvrage, c’est de partir en quête d’art, de land art plus précisément - mais pas seulement -, de cette forme de plasticité rendue à l’état de ...
- Emilie Belkessam, Critique d’art, France
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