Thomas Crow on the State of Social Art History

In an interview with Vivian Rehberg, Thomas Crow, director of the Getty Research Institute, discusses the evolution and current state of social art history. Crow, a pioneer of the discipline, notes that while social art history has become the norm in art historical scholarship, its original critical edge has been lost. He argues that the tools of social art history are now so widely accepted that they are used without reflection, leading to homogeneity and boredom. Crow traces the origins of social art history to four key centers: Robert Herbert at Yale University, UCLA in the early 1970s, Middlesex Polytechnic, and the University of Leeds. He emphasizes the importance of theory, particularly French structuralism and post-structuralism, in his own formation, citing Barthes' S/Z and Foucault's The Order of Things. Crow criticizes the current state of art history for its professionalization and lack of innovation, contrasting it with the passionate debates of the 1970s. He also discusses the Getty Research Institute's programs, including conferences on 1960s art and media featuring figures like David Joselit, Ed Ruscha, and Dennis Hopper, and a symposium on experimental filmmaker Harry Smith. Crow advocates for a broader, more rigorous approach to visual culture that does not simply reject high art but engages with popular culture on its own terms.