There are some reference books that follow you and stay with you through out your life. ‘Art Since Pop‘ is such a book, published in 1975 (by Dolphin). This book simply sets out to do what it says in the title, explaining art movements such as Process Art, Land Art, Conceptual Art and Body Art, in a brief but concise way. None of the movements of fine art covered in this pocket sized book are dealt with in great depth but it provides an informed introduction to these different concepts and methodologies, reassessing its effectiveness and ability to move on and change. The beauty of this book is the fact that it was written closer to ‘as it was happening‘ and gives an optimistic appraisal of art movements that have since been sidelined or dismissed as mere Cul-de-sacs.

John A. Walker (b. 1938) is a British art critic and historian who has written over 15 books on modern and contemporary art with an emphasis on mass media. He has also written on design history methodology. Walker’s books include Art since Pop (1975), Design history and the history of design with Judy Attfield (1990), John Latham: The Incidental Person – His Art and Ideas (1994), Cultural Offensive: America’s Impact on British Art since 1945 (1998), Art & Outrage (1999), Supercollector: A Critique of Charles Saatchi with Rita Hatton (2000),Left Shift: Radical Art in 1970s Britain (2001), Art in the Age of Mass Media (3rd ed.: 2001), Art and Celebrity (2003) and Firefighters in Art and Media: A Pictorial History (2009).

Walker was a Reader in Art and Design History at Middlesex University near London until retiring in 1999. He was trained as a painter at Newcastle upon Tyne.