Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

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 (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publishers Weekly Review

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. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

CHOICE Review

Published in conjunction with an exhibit at the Martin-Gropius-Bau in Berlin and the Royal Academy of Arts in London, and the fourth in a series of monographs on 20th-century painting and sculpture, this book is a collection of 25 essays on various aspects of 20th-century American art by prominent scholars, critics, and philosophers. The essays range from traditional art historical fare to more philosophical musings. The first four essays attempt to define and explain American art by examining its cultural, political, and philosophical aspects in this century. Those that follow explore particular art movements. Each essay expresses its author's own unique approach to its subject; therefore, a refreshing selection of methodologies and viewpoints is advanced. The last group addresses the institutions and individuals that shaped or reflected these movements. Numerous and excellent illustrations, with many important archival photographs reproduced; biographies of the artists; good bibliography. Recommended for its breadth and scope, the wide range of attitudes, and the wealth of reproductions. Undergraduate; graduate; faculty; general. R. J. Merrill; University of Southern California