Ruin Lust
Subtitle: Artists' Fascination with Ruins, from Turner to the Present Day
By: Brian Dillon
Contributors: Tate Britain (Gallery)
Edition: First edition.
Publisher: Tate Publishing
Published: 2014
Place of publication: London
Language: eng
Number of pages: 63
ISBN-13: 9781849763011
Subjects: British Art; Exhibitions; Ruins in art
Description: The aesthetics of the sublime and the picturesque fuelled the 'ruin lust' of the 18th century, but in the 19th century ruins also came to represent fears of the decay of civilisation and the destructive effects of industrialisation. In the 20th century these dystopian visions were made shockingly real after two world wars and successive economic crises. For contemporary artists the ruin has also become a way of thinking about art itself, conceived as a fragment of a lost past or a partial hint of time to come. This book accompanies a major exhibition exploring the theme of ruins and ruination in British art from the 17th century to the present day.
Notes: Published on the occasion of the exhibition held at Tate Britain London, 4th March-1st June 2014.

Includes bibliographical references and index.