The Rise of the Sixties: American and European Art in the Era of Dissent

by Thomas E. Crow

This account of the years 1955-69 examines artists from Europe and America who worked throughout the Civil Rights movement, the Vietnam War and the general social crises of the time. The book explores the relationship between art and politics, showing how the rhetoric of one informed or subverted the other. It also traces the aesthetic climate that challenged established notions of content, style, medium and audience and forged new bonds between performance and visual arts.

Genres: Art History, Art, Nonfiction, History

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[James Kenniff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Does well in narrativizing a Western art canon that responds at once to itself and to a socio-political context, most specifically covering New Left opposition to the Vietnam War, a touch of feminist praxis and entirely cursory mentions to the Civil Rights Movement. I'm not sure if a single Black artist is even mentioned in the text. Gives incredible influence to Jasper Johns which is expected for such an account but is still irritating, that man actually says nothing. Generally dense writing but rewardingly so, with additional rewards in the foregrounding of art dealer/world dynamics as structuring the concepts and form of their art and artists. I'm thinking particularly of Crow's account of how Minimalists' practical dependence on traditional gallery spaces fueled a more domineering, masculine culture and mode of art-maker brimming the Manhattan nightclub Max's Kansas City, with Dan Flavin as an example. Unfortunate, I didn't know that, and this subordinated his stature in my eyes. This book also quite raised my perception of Dr. Christine Mehring, who covered this book's main themes with more vibrancy (and sometimes depth) in, like, 40 minutes.

[Tamara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just finished 'The Rise of the Sixties', and I barely remember it. Yes, the book was well written, and probably interesting to others, but not to me. I found it really hard to concentrate on what was being said, and did not connect or like much of the art discussed. The sixties was never my favorite decade anyways, however it was such a wild time I had to check it out in more depth. As an art newbie, I discovered Anthony Caro who I now really like (apparently he is THE modernist sculptor and super famous), but not much else appealed to me. I think I would appreciate this more if I was further educated on the different manifestos and artistic intentions mentioned in the book.

[Alli · Rating 3 out of 5]

GO TOM CROW!! I did a project in my second semester in graduate school where I had to read the entire ouvre of an art historian. I chose Thomas Crow and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

[george · Rating 4 out of 5]

a fascinating overview on a very tumultuous time in art history. honestly feels like a book i will have to reread in order to appreciate it properly, there is so much information that i felt as if i couldn’t really gain anything from only one reading all the way through.

the book has certainly inspired me to look further into a lot of movements from the sixties, as in i think i will literally be using the glossary in terms of things to research. i really loved the american-european connections that were made throughout the book and the movements away from paris towards new york during the post war period. i found the differences between the development of art in the different continents very interesting, particularly when looking at individual artists such as yves klein and movements such as photography.

the book seems to mainly focus on the place of art and the function of art in such a tumultuous period of history. the value of art in society seems to have been consistently changing with underpinning social, racial, sexual and political tones in virtually every work featured in this book. i feel as if a greater knowledge of sixties culture is warranted for understanding parts of this book as it seemingly goes through concepts and ideas so quickly, it is a little overwhelming at times. i really appreciated the changing psyche of the artist and the places of art in art galleries, from paintings to performance to sculpture to trying to create something above the historical definition of art.

however, the thing that i will take the most away from this book is the artists that i will now look into due to this. these include but not limited to: jess (burgess collins), robyn denny, asger jorn, richard hamilton, bruce conner, helen frankenthaler, morris louis, frank stella, wallace berman and edward kienholz, beyte sar, claes oldenburg (i found “giant soft fan” strangely captivating), george segal, cy twombly, anthony caro and his school, agnes martin, ad reinhardt, joseph beuys, piero mazoni, robert morris, jannis kounnelis, eva hesse and robert smithson. i think i just really like this period of art and the societal and philosophical implications that came with being an artist at this time.

[diderot · Rating 5 out of 5]

pithy, yet really excellent overview of modern art up to the neo-dada period. gives the necessary vocabulary and context to reference works from these movements in discussion with works made since. that being said, it is a concise review geared toward readers already a bit familiar with these artists; but it is also indispensable - providing particularly useful graphics and historical tables that help situate an art-historical argument whenever one might need a refresher.

[Mario · Rating 4 out of 5]

wen libro salu2 jaja

un libro tremendamente orientador, un antes y un despues en mi mapa mental sobre la historia del arte, contextualiza muy bien sobre las formas contemporaneas de arte, que a originado estos nuevos procesos, se complementa muy bien con la lectura de Joseph Kosuth, "el arte despues de la filosofia" (art after filosophy and after)

[Carlos Valladares]

oral exams

[Jennifer Coster · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little college nostalgia. He's better in person tho

[Anterobot Garcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great historical overview.