This is a good book...IF one is at least somewhat familiar with Adorno's aesthetic theory and current debates in art theory and criticism (in particular, the works of T.J. Clark, Michael Fried, and Rosalind Krauss) as well as the work of the philosophers Stanley Cavell and Immanuel Kant.

Definitely not the place to begin if you aren't.

In this collection of related essays, Bernstein examines the role of modern art as it relates to the modern predicament as diagnosed by Adorno (i.e. alienation from society and from nature through reification). Within this context, Bernstein analyzes the work of artists such as Soutine, Pollock, Cindy Sherman and Anthony Caro.

Another caveat: If you don't share buy the claims made by Adorno in works such as _Dialectic of Enlightenment_ or _Aesthetic Theory_, then this book may not be for you. Bernstein working within this context rather than attempting to defend it. ( )