In recent decades, installation has become a leading artistic form in the arts. However, as Claire Bishop notes, 'the vast range of differences in appearance, content, and scale of works created today under this name, as well as the free use of the term, make it almost devoid of any definitive meaning.' The goal of this book is to organize this seemingly vast and diverse body of work. Drawing on an analysis of specific works, the author demonstrates that, since the perception of such art requires the physical presence of the audience within the work, it can be classified according to the type of experience it offers the viewer. Bishop traces the origins of installation to the artistic avant-garde of the 1920s, devotes close attention to the neo-avant-garde of the 1960s and 1970s, and examines artistic practice of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, while clarifying the conceptual foundations of installation art.