The term Abstract Expressionism, though rejected by some of the artists involved, has come to signify the fascinating body of work made by American artists in postwar New York, mainly between 1947 and 1953. Artists including Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Clyfford Still, Barnett Newman, Lee Krasner, and Willem de Kooning created large-scale canvases that revitalized contemporary art in America. Although inspired to some extent by the Surrealists and by European abstract painting, Abstract Expressionism was hailed as the first truly American modern art movement, and was to have enormous influence on the activities of artists in Europe and the rest of the world.
In addition to 60 color illustrations of works created by the artists of the movement, this accessible survey examines the critical response to Abstract Expressionism from the time of its heyday up until the present day.