This book presents an audacious account of the ways in which the arts in the Americas were modernized during the first half of the 20th century. Rather than viewing modernization as a steady progression from one "ism" to another, Edward Sullivan adopts a comparative approach, drawing his examples from North America, the Caribbean, Central, and South America. By considering the Americas in this hemispheric sense he is able to tease out many stories of art and focus on the ways in which artists from different regions not only adapted and experimented with visual expression, but also absorbed trans-national as well as international influences. He shows how this rich diversity is most evident in the various forms of abstract art that emerged throughout the Americas and which in turn had an impact on art throughout the world.

During the five decades between 1910 and 1960, American society underwent tumultuous and far-reaching transformations. As the United States emerged as an international power of economic, industrial, and military might, Americans also witnessed two world wars and the Great Depression. Urbanization and new technologies altered all aspects of modern life, and an increasingly diverse population clamored for the opportunities promised by the American dream. In response to these dramatic changes, many American artists rejected or reformulated artistic traditions and sought new ways to portray contemporary life. Published in conjunction with a traveling exhibition of works from the world-renowned collection of the Brooklyn Museum, American Moderns, 1910 1960: From O'Keeffe to Rockwell explores the myriad ways in which American artists engaged modernity. Featured are 53 paintings and 4 sculptures, ranging widely in subject matter and style, by such artists as Marsden Hartley, Stuart Davis, Arthur Dove, and Max Weber, leaders of American modernism; Precisionists George Ault and Francis Criss; Social Realists Reginald Marsh and Raphael Soyer; and the folk-art icon Grandma Moses. The book's introduction sets the stage for six thematic sections, each with an introductory essay Cubist Experiments, The Still Life Revisited, Nature Essentialized, Modern Structures, Engaging Characters, and Americana tracing the period's dominant artistic developments. Interpretive text for each object and reproductions of comparative works provide further insight into how these artists shaped modern art.

Chronicles the New York City neighborhood's role as a bohemian enclave that became the home of and transformed the lives of individuals who came to the neighborhood to pursue their individual artistic, personal, and political dreams.

Summary: Between 1910 and 1920 Mexico was convulsed by socialist revolution, from which emerged a strong left-wing government that laid great stress on art as a vehicle for promoting revolutionary values. This led to a pioneering programme to cover the walls of public buildings with vast murals and, later, to setting up print workshops to produce works for mass distribution and education. This book is published to accompany the first ever exhibition on this period to be held in Europe, on view at the British Museum from 27 October 28 February 2010. It will feature approximately 130 prints by over 40 artists, including the three great men of Mexican art of the period: Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco and David Alfaro Siqueiros. A fascinating range of material includes not only single-sheet artists prints but also large posters with designs in woodcut or lithography, as well as illustrated books on many different themes. Also included are earlier works by the popular engraver José Guadalupe Posada, adopted by the revolutionaries as the archetypal printmaker working for the people, and whose macabre dances of skeletons have always fascinated Europeans. Essays by Alison McClean and Dawn Ades will set Mexican printmaking in its artistic and political context. The book will also contain concise biographies of all the artists featured.

This clear, thorough, and reliable survey of American painting and sculpture from colonial times to the present day covers all the major artists and their works, outlines the social and cultural backgrounds of each period, and includes 409 illustrations integrated with the text. Although some determining factors in American art are considered, Matthew Baigell views the rich and diverse achievements of American art as the result of the efforts and talents of a pluralistic society rather than as fitting into a particular mold.This edition includes corrections and revisions to the text, an updated bibliography, and 13 new illustrations.