Art and Advertising

Art and advertising are often seen as enemies, with the one being free from commercial concerns and the other dependent upon them. In this clearly-written and wide-ranging book, Joan Gibbons argues rather for a mutually enriching relationship between the two, showing how artists have stepped out of the gallery to reach a wider audience by embracing the tactics of advertising, and how advertising has opened its eyes to the strategies of contemporary art. Charting key points of overlap and antagonism, she looks at the work of artists from Andy Warhol, Barbara Kruger and Victor Burgin through to Sylvie Fleurie and Swetlana Heger and at landmark campaigns from Silk Cut to Benetton’s Shock of Reality. Exploring cutting-edge advertising work from creative David Carson to Wieden and Kennedy and Tony Kaye, she also looks at the increasing endorsement of art by highly-branded products, to argue that art and advertising need not be mutually exclusive terms. 'Gibbons manages to elevate this age old debate. She makes us think again - and does it with intelligence and sensitivity to both the art world and the advertising world. No mean feat.' - Nik Studzinski, Creative Director, Publicis