Fault Lines; Art In Germany 1945-1955

Examining the role of artists in the years following the Second World War, Fault Lines reveals the reconstruction of German artistic culture during a period of great upheaval.

This volume offers an important and insightful account of art and artists in Germany in the wake of the Second World War, and of the reconstruction of German artistic culture in the early stages of the Cold War. Drawing on a broad range of archival and visual sources, Fault Lines examines the circumstances of destruction, defeat and division in the postwar decade, and the role played by artists during the first moments of reconstruction and occupation.

Author John-Paul Stonard asks: How did artists respond to the destruction of Germany by Allied bombardment? What was the impact of Russian, American, French and British cultural policies during the military occupation? What were the connections between East and West?