'Katy Siegel's newest addition to art criticism, Since '45, continues to view the contemporary art world in a way that opens readers up to new ideas without casting judgement. An incisive and fascinating inside-out critique of American contemporary art.' - Jeff Koons 'Katy Siegel has discovered the next great art historical subject: The American Moment, now long faded for reasons ... Read morethat are far from clear. In Since '45, Siegel lays bare the fragile, historical co-existence of European ideas about avant-garde and the American predisposition for designed obsolescence. For fifty years, this schism has demanded both a cool American reason and an ironic European reason for loving the art we love. Katy sorts them out, rediscovers America, and opens a new field of cultural speculation. - Dave Hickey Katy Siegel may well be our most insightful critic of contemporary art. It helps that she is also an art historian who puts the contemporary and the modern in perspective, identifying the larger issues that pertain to both. By the same token, the more historical moments in her writing profit from her critical engagement with the present. To read along as she moves through the past six or seven decades of art is to witness the two sides of her expertise enter into harmony. Since '45 reflects Siegel's deep understanding of the course of American culture, presented with remarkable acuity, economy, and wit. This most unusual book, a brilliant critical history, ends up revealing what's crucial right now. Add its utter timeliness to the many reasons why it will last. - Richard Shiff, Professor of Art History at the University of Texas at Austin Show Less