What is the difference between a work of art and a work of craft?
Can an artist claim that an object is their own work if it has been made by someone else?
If so, who is the author of such a work?
In the first book of its kind, Michael Petry tackles these questions head on, exploring the concepts of authorship, artistic originality, skill, craftsmanship and the creative act, and highlighting the vital role that skills from craft and industrial production play in creating some of today's most innovative and sought-after works of art.
The Art of Not Making includes artworks by Grayson Perry, Ai Weiwei, Matthew Barney, Chris Burden and Louise Bourgeois alongside original interviews with craftsmen who explore how the collaboration with a skilled maker results in objects that are exquisitely made and finished.
Michael Petry is an American artist, curator and author who has lived in London since 1981. He is a guest lecturer at the Royal Academy of Arts, where he is Curator of the Royal Academy Schools Gallery, and is the Director of MOCA London. His books include Installation Art and Installation Art in the New Millennium, both published by Thames & Hudson. In 2010 he became the first artist in residence at Sir John Soane’s Museum, London.
