This course examines key issues and debates about the production, exhibition and circulation of contemporary art within an increasingly interconnected, yet unevenly developed contemporary art world. Concentrating on key case studies, which engendered, framed, investigated and reflected on contemporary art historical knowledge, this course explores the social, cultural and political contexts where they were created and presented, analysing their form, content, reception and subsequent interpretation. Through the discussion of the legacies of these case studies, this course also interrogates the specific ways in which they have affected contemporary art and its display.