The Arts: A History of Expression in the 20th Century

Seventy years ago the Dada movement proclaimed, "Art is dead"; if so, it has had an exciting afterlife. The twentieth-century world of art has boiled with rebellion and experiment, each generation creating new forms of expression--from Cubism to abstract expressionism, from surrealism to superrealism, not to mention the new trends in literature, architecture, music, and dance. The Arts offers a sweeping look at this tumultuous, creative century, in a richly illustrated and accessibly written volume.
With over 300 illustrations, many in full color, The Arts ranges across every field of fine art, painting a vivid portrait of the changing styles--and the money, politics, and intellectual trends that have shaped twentieth-century art. Unlike so many histories, this comprehensive narrative brings together both the visual and the performing arts, presenting an integrated picture of our century's changing ideas and artistic fashions. The Arts describes modernism in literature (Eliot, Pound, and Joyce) alonside modernism in architecture (Corbusier, Frank Lloyd Wright, and the Bauhaus movement), and explores how artists from sculptors to musicians have responded to major political events. And at a time when public debate is raging over public support for "obscene" art, this book delves into the social reality behind creative work. The authors examine social standards and politics, and discuss the rise of powerful institutions in the U.S. and Europe--such as New York's Museum of Modern Art, various national theaters, the National Endowment for the Arts, the British Arts Council, and prestigious arts centers--as well as the impact of state support and the superheated art market. The Arts comes right up to the present moment, exploring postmodern architecture, the conceptualist rebellion against art itself, and the death of the radical avant garde. And throughout, scores of informatively captioned capsule biographies bring the works and personalities of twentieth-century art to life.
The world of art is fast-paced and exciting, a world where ideas and influences never stop changing. The Arts, with its expansive scope and accessible format, brings this fascinating subject into pespective, vividly portraying the development of fine arts ina century when styles and tastes have been turned upside down again and again and again.