Abstract Expressionism: Other Politics [Paperback]

Professor Ann Eden Gibson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 10, 1999

The Abstract Expressionist movement has long been bound up in the careers and lifestyles of about twelve white male artists who exhibited in New York in the 1940s. In this book Ann Eden Gibson reconsiders the history of the movement by investigating other artists -- people of color, women, and gays and lesbians -- whose versions of abstraction have been largely ignored until now.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press (November 10, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300080727
• ISBN-13: 978-0300080728
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 8.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #958,971 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #38 in Books > Arts & Photography > Schools, Periods & Styles > Abstract Expressionism

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Widening the lens of art history, January 30, 2000

By 

David Leisner (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Abstract Expressionism: Other Politics (Hardcover)

Ann Eden Gibson's revelatory book takes a second look at American art history of the mid-to-late 20th century and makes a strong case for a reexamination of artists whose work has been excluded. The importance of artists such as Norman Lewis, Beauford Delany, Hale Woodruff, Charles Alston, Alice Trumbull Mason, Michael West and many others has been marginalized because they were African-American or women or gay or Asian-American. How and why this happened is the subject of Ms. Gibson's clear-eyed and well-reasoned analysis. She writes of social, philosophical, psychological and historical matters which combined to create this widespread rejection in the mainstream art world.

One interesting area of discussion, for example, was the natural ability and inclination of the Outsider to perceive aspects of life in more than one way. This plurality, with its inherent sense of irony and a wider perspective, was the antithesis of the Abstract Expressionists' determined formula for success - to find a style and stick to it. Another fertile subject is that of the Hero, or heroic rebel, as epitomized by Jackson Pollock and idolized by most of the artists within the fold. This uniquely masculine, heterosexual and yes, narrow point of view catapulted certain artists into the limelight and pushed others with a more feminine or delicate or vulnerable approach to the sidelines.

These and other arguments are all beautifully documented by Gibson, and a generous number of color, as well as black-and-white illustrations demonstrate the content and strength of the work of many of these unjustly neglected artists. This probing volume raises as many questions as it answers. Hopefully, this will be only the beginning of a much-needed reassessment of the history of recent American art.

3 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read; Dr. Gibson opens our eyes to so many overlooked, November 4, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Abstract Expressionism: Other Politics (Hardcover)

In Other Politics, Ann Gibson has made me rethink all of what I thought I knew about abstract expressionism. From the