Postwar: Art between the Pacific and the Atlantic, 1945-1965

by Okwui Enwezor (Editor), Katy Siegel (Editor), Ulrich Wilmes (Editor)

This unprecedented global survey of the art of the postwar era represents a comprehensive examination of the production of art across all continents, under the conditions engendered by World War II. Accompanying the exhibition Art between the Pacific and the Atlantic, 1945–1965 , this extensive catalogue presents the work of more than 200 artists from over 50 countries. Uniquely, it understands the term "postwar" as a truly global condition, focusing on the increasingly interdependent nature of the world as the result of new geopolitical affinities and technological realities. The catalogue illuminates how these epochal social changes manifested worldwide across the practices of painting, sculpture, installation, performance, cinema, and music, through eight thematic Zero Hour and the Atomic Era; Form Matters; New Images of Man; Realisms; Concrete Visions; Cosmopolitan Modernisms; Nations Seeking Form; and Networks, Media, and Communication. Key historical texts, visual essays, color illustrations, and over 35 original contributions by leading international art historians, curators, and scholars offer new insights into the complex legacies of artistic practice and art historical discourses that emerged in the aftermath of World War II’s devastation. Artists’ biographies, a comprehensive bibliography, and chronologies of the postwar period further supplement what will become an indispensable resource for future research.

Genres: Art

848 pages, Hardcover

Published January 26, 2017

About the author

Okwui Enwezor was a Nigerian curator, art critic, writer, poet, and educator, specializing in art history. He lived in New York City and Munich. In 2014, he was ranked #24 in the ArtReview list of the 100 most powerful people of the art world.

Reviews

[renee]

This is an amazing resource and a joy to dip into, every now and then. The plates are stunning.

[Mills College Library]

709.045 P8589 2016