This updated edition of a pioneering book first published in 1979, is supplemented by a definitive account of the current technological, political and aesthetic shifts in performance art that mark its transition to the 21st century. Performance art is now at the forefront of contemporary art world-wide. An astonishing increase in the number of works and venues testifies to this art form being the chosen medium for articulating "difference", whether dealing with issues of identity, multiculturalism or globalism. The desire for direct engagement with today's most prominent artists explains the wide appeal of performance art to the expanding audiences for new art. Artists such as Mariko Mori, Paul McCarthy, Matthew Barney and Forced Entertainment can now be seen in the context of previous innovators, from the Dadaists to Laurie Anderson.
本书作者罗斯莉·格特伯格是行为艺术研究的先驱。她毕业于伦敦考陶尔德艺术学院，曾担任伦敦皇家艺术学院美术馆馆长和纽约The Kitchen录像、音乐和表演中心策展人。格特伯格是《行为表演艺术：自1960年代起的现场艺术》（1998）和《劳莉·安德森》（2000）二书的作者，并频繁向《艺术论坛》等杂志供稿，她也在纽约大学任教。格特伯格是Performa的创始人、总监及策展人，Performa是支持和发展视觉艺术家的新行为作品的非营利艺术组织，于2005年第一次在纽约召开。2006年，法国政府授予格特伯格艺术与文学骑士勋章。
