David Anfam

Abstract Expressionism is the most important art movement since the Second World War. Although it is often considered a revolution in painting alone for the images created by such leading figures as Jackson Pollock, Clyfford Still, Willem de Kooning and Mark Rothko remain altogether extraordinary its radical spirit extended further, encompassing the sculpture of David Smith and Aaron Siskinds photography. Along with other key artists such as Barnett Newman and Franz Kline, these artists formed a nucleus united not just against the tensions of American society from the 1930s onwards, but also in their aim to forge diverse new visual languages. David Anfam explores the movement in terms of its political implications and rich cultural contexts, bringing many fresh insights to the works themselves. Taking into account a wealth of scholarship, this new edition also has nearly one hundred works reproduced in colour.

Abstract Expressionism will forever be associated with the energy and vibrancy of 1950s New York. Artists injected a new sense of confidence in painting, experimenting with improvisation, spontaneity, and color. This bold publication and the major exhibition it accompanies seek to reevaluate the movement, making the case that far from being unified, Abstract Expressionism was in fact complex and ever-changing. This volume includes works by the most celebrated artists associated with the movement?not just Pollock, Rothko, and de Kooning, but also Kline, Newman, Still, Smith, Reinhardt, and Gorky. Sculptors such as David Smith and photographers such as Aaron Siskind are also represented. With texts by well-known experts in the field, this is a landmark publication.