When Pop Art paintings depicted Campbell soup cans or comic-book scenes of teen romance, did they stoop to the level of their mundane sources, or did they instead transform the detritus of consumer culture into high art? In this study, Ccile Whiting declares this issue fundamentally irresolvable and instead takes the question itself, along with the varied answers it has generated, as the object of her analysis. Whiting presents case studies that focus on works by four artists - Tom Wesselmann, Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, and Marisol Escobar - who are closely associated with the Pop Art movement. Throughout her engaging analyses, Whiting unravels the gendered overtones of their cultural manoeuvrings, noting how the connotations of masculinity as attached to the seriousness of high art, and the presumed frivolity and caprice of a feminine world of consumption repositioned cultural frontiers and reformulated the relation between sexes.

Originating in England in the mid 1950s, Pop Art developed its full potential in the USA in the 1960s. It substitutes the everyday for the splendid; mass-produced articles are assigned the same importance as one-offs; the difference between high culture and popular culture is swept away. Media and advertising are among the preferred contents of Pop Art, which celebrates the consumer society in its own witty fashion. The enthusiasm generated by Pop Art since the first works were exhibited has never died down -- it is greater today than ever before. Book jacket.

The first computer-generated animated feature film, Toy Story (1995) sustains a dynamic vitality that proved instantly appealing to audiences of all ages. Like the great Pop Artists, Pixar Studios affirmed the energy of modern commercial popular culture and, in doing so, created a distinctive alternative to the usual Disney formula. Tom Kemper traces the film's genesis, production history and reception to demonstrate how its postmodern mishmash of pop culture icons and references represented a fascinating departure from Disney's fine arts style and fairytale naturalism. By foregrounding the way in which Toy Story flipped the conventional relationship between films and their ancillary merchandising by taking consumer products as its very subject, Kemper provides an illuminating, revisionist exploration of this groundbreaking classic.

In this age of insta-stardom and selfies, Pop Art still defines the world we live in. Emerging in the 1950s, Pop Art arrived in an explosion of colour, offering bold representations and plenty of humour. All of the celebrities, events and politics that came to define two turbulent decades are encapsulated in their work. Pop Art challenged the establishment and offered a new modernism, blurring the line between art and mass production. Uncover 100 stories in this essential guide to a groundbreaking movement. Enjoy enlightening critiques of iconic works; meet key figures including Warhol and Hockney; and discover inspirational ideas and novel new methods.

Mamiya (art history, U. of Nebraska) attributes the wild success of pop art in the 1960s, despite the disapproval of art critics, to its integral relationship with American consumer culture, which also peaked at that time. Paper edition (unseen), $17.95. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

This publication accompanies the exhibition at the Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt 28 September - 1 December 2002 and the Tate Liverpool from December 20th 2002-March 23rd 2003 and documents the fascination with the increasingly sophisticated means of seduction in shop windows. Pictorial material illustrates the interactionbetween art and the consumption of goods.