From Publishers Weekly
A fresh, vibrant, major reassessment of modern American art, this catalogue accompanies an exhibit in Berlin and London, which, regrettably, will not visit the U.S. In their introductory essays, German curator Joachimides and Rosenthal of London's Royal Academy of Arts trace a polarization in American art between a longing for transcendence (Mark Rothko, Jackson Pollock) and a confrontation with pop culture or urban despair (Edward Hopper, Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg). In his contribution, Anfam, author of Abstract Expressionism , explores the movement's search for authenticity while art critic Arthur Danto punctures the abstract expressionists' metaphysical pretensions and investigates pop art's philosophical conundrums. Other essays cover social art of the Depression, the Dada-inspired Fluxus movement and the "process art" of post-minimalist sculptors Eva Hesse and Bruce Nauman. Hundreds of color plates--of the work of Man Ray, Keith Haring, Cindy Sherman, Jean-Michel Basquiat and others--convey a sense of American art's continual exploration of visual reality.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
This is both an exhibition catalog (the show appeared at Martin Gropius Bau, Berlin, May-July and will travel to the Royal Academy of Arts, London, Sept.-Dec. 1993) and an attempt to survey eight decades of artistic development. The essays, written by a number of prominent European and American historians, examine the emergence of the United States as the primary influence in the international art world during this period. From the Armory Show to Fluxus, from Black Mountain College to Happenings, the evolution of various movements and philosophical atti tudes and their social and political implications are discussed in terms of artists, collectors, and curators. Extensively illustrated, the book includes many works not in the exhibition and is further enhanced by over 60 short biographical sketches that supply additional brief bibliographies. A name index completes this very thorough view of a complex and fascinating period. Recommended for all art libraries and large general collections.
- Paula Frosch, Metropolitan Museum of Art Lib., New York
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
- Paula Frosch, Metropolitan Museum of Art Lib., New York
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
