Outlaw Representation: Censorship and Homosexuality in Twentieth-Century American Art

Rating:
Summary: Sexy without substance
Review: To judge from the glowing reviews by high-powered academics on the dustjacket, one might think that Richard Meyer's book would reshape the entire field of twentieth-century American art history. To his credit, Meyer has done extensive archival research, and gives elegant, concise descriptions of the visual material he presents. But when one ceases to be awed by the glossy, provocative photos, it becomes apparent that his book is 90% description and summary of paintings and events--really, a coffee-table book rather than academic scholarship--and that his "central claim," clearly outlined in the first few pages, isn't really a argument at all, but an observation about cause and effect, _Outlaw Representations_ argues that censorship has produced a set of unintended "representations and counter-representations." What exactly needs to be proven here?
A much more interesting argument, in my view, would have been to say that representations of homosexuality in art and visual culture provide a paradigm for thinking about the relationship between censorship, desire, and the law. Apart from a few references to Freud and Jung (Lacan is conspicuously absent), Meyer does not venture in this direction. One cannot hold Meyer accountable for the title of his book, "Outlaw Representations,"--perhaps it was imposed upon him for marketing reasons, or chosen for its clever play on the word "out"--but it wrongly implies that these censored representations he is examining somehow seek to be "outside" of the law, when the artists are clearly eroticizing the very law that imposes censorial limits on their expression.
The book is a disappointment, because Meyer is a very intelligent person, and could have done more theorizing to make his book truly exceptional.

Rating:
Summary: WOW! FANTASTIC BOOK ON GAY ART & CENSORSHIP!!!!!
Review: WOW! Sexy and impressive! Richard Meyer's Outlaw Representation proves to be a triumphant exploration of how conflicts over censorship and homosexuality have transformed the history of modern art in America. From Mapplethorpe to Warhol, the author masterfully charts the complex crosshairs of sexuality and politics as we witness again and again the collision between gay sensibility and the long arm of the law. I was blown away by Meyer's grasp of his subject and the light he shines onto this sad litany of censorship in America.