This lively introduction tells the ever-evolving story of abstract art, tracing its history from the early 1900s right up to the present day. Emerging out of western movements such as Cubism and Expressionism, abstract art quickly became a global phenomenon, changing the face of modern and contemporary art. Stephanie Straine weaves accounts of well-known pioneers with fascinating insights into lesser-known ground-breakers from across the world. Although abstraction in art is often associated with vagueness or the forbiddingly theoretical, for many artists the abstract represents pure simplicity. Straine's vivid discussion demystifies the work of over seventy innovative artists - from Wassily Kandinsky to Emma Kunz and Rana Begum - and develops our appreciation of their conceptual approach. A reference section includes a timeline of key exhibitions of abstract art, suggestions for further reading and a glossary of art terms.

Abstract Art (Art Essentials) (Art Essentials, 11)

Arts & Photography

Straine, Stephanie

History & Criticism

Thames&Hudson

The perfect introduction to the life and work of this pioneering artist The work of Andy Warhol (1928–1987) reflected and commented on contemporary themes in American society: consumerism, celebrity, mass production, disaster, and death. To capture these ideas he used a wide range of iconic images: Coca-Cola, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, the electric chair, the crashed car, the race riot, and the atomic bomb. His openness to subject matter was matched by a willingness to explore all media, resulting in his innovative approach to painting, photography, drawing, and printmaking, and his influential activity as an experimental filmmaker. Andy Warhol, with its radiant metallic cover, offers a concise introduction to and pictorial overview of one of the greatest modern artists, one who redefined 20th-century art.

Andy Warhol

Tate

Jackson Pollock (1912–1956) was one of the most influential and provocative American artists of the 20th century. This fully illustrated book accompanies the first exhibition in over three decades of a crucial phase of his work referred to as the Black Pourings. This controversial body of black enamel and oil paintings, which were exceptional in their absolute merging of color and surface, are accompanied here by drawings that are regarded as his most important and productive. A number of virtually unknown and rarely seen sculptures are also included, illuminating Pollock’s experimentations with space, density, and figuration. Accompanying a major exhibition and including insightful essays by a team of scholars, this book reveals a less-known aspect of Pollock’s work.

Blind Spots: Jackson Pollock

Applin, Jo

Fried, Michael

Delahunty, Gavin

Tate Publishing

Sculptor, painter, author of spatial forms, artistic installations, and happenings, Edward Krasinski (1925–2004) was one of the most important protagonists of the Polish neo avant-garde in the 1960s and ’70s. This richly illustrated book investigates the development of Krasinski’s unique formal language, showcasing works spanning more than 50 years of his remarkable career. From early works made in the 1960s to installations made in the 2000s, the book emphasizes his experimental approach to art and exhibitions. Introduced by Tate curator Kasia Redzisz, a series of texts by leading scholars presents fresh research on Krasinski’s practice, placing it within a wider global context. With rarely reproduced artworks and documentary photographs, as well as previously unpublished archival materials and a fully illustrated chronology, this is the definitive English-language volume on one of the most important Polish artists of the 20th century.  

Edward Krasinski

Redzisz, Kasia

A Slice Through the World: Contemporary Artists' Drawings

MacFarlane, Kate

Collections, Catalogs & Exhibitions

Museum of Modern Art, Oxford

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Books by Straine, Stephanie