Asian American Art: A History, 1850-1970

by Gordon Chang (Editor), Mark Johnson (Editor), Paul J. Karlstrom (Editor)

Asian American A History, 1850-1970 is the first comprehensive study of the lives and artistic production of artists of Asian ancestry active in the United States before 1970. The publication features original essays by ten leading scholars, biographies of more than 150 artists, and over 400 reproductions of artwork, ephemera, and images of the artists. Aside from a few artists such as Dong Kingman, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Isamu Noguchi, and Yun Gee, artists of Asian ancestry have received inadequate historical attention, even though many of them received wide critical acclaim during their productive years. This pioneering work recovers the extraordinarily impressive artistic production of numerous Asian Americans, and offers richly informed interpretations of a long-neglected art history. To unravel the complexity of Asian American art expression and its vital place in American art, the texts consider aesthetics, the social structures of art production and criticism, and national and international historical contexts. Without a doubt, Asian American Art will profoundly influence our understanding of the history of art in America and the Asian American experience for years to come.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction

576 pages, Paperback

First published August 11, 2008

Reviews

[A · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an encyclopedic look at Asian artists who lived in the United States from 1850-1970. What a herculean task to find and gather these artists in one book! There are many names which are unfamiliar, and should not be.

The cover painting of Chiura Obata's, Setting Sun: Sacramento Valley, is a masterpiece.