Contemporary art is supposed to be a realm of freedom where artists shock, break taboos, and switch between confronting viewers with works of emotional profundity and jaw-dropping triviality. But away from shock tactics in the gallery, there are many unanswered questions. Who is really running the art world? What effect has America's growing political and cultural dominance had on art? Stallabrass takes us inside the art world to answer these and other controversial questions, and to argue that behind contemporary art's variety and apparent unpredictability lies a grim uniformity.