Abstract Expressionism: A Critical Record

Abstract Expressionism was the dominant movement in experimental American painting from the 1940s through the early 1960s. This book is a collection of articles, reviews, and essays that chronicle the critical history of the movement from its inception to the present. Drawing on a range of sources, including newspapers, magazines, and exhibition catalogues, the original debates about the validity of "action painting" are dramatically illustrated. The articles selected for the volume include classic statements from the most influential and prolific critics, including Clement Greenberg, Harold Rosenberg, and Hilton Kramer. The editors have also included contributions of iconoclasts from the 1950s and 1960s such as Leon Golub and John Canaday to suggest the full range of critical discussion. Six representative artists are the subject of extended sections that include biographical chronologies, reviews, and the artists' own comments: Willem de Kooning, Adolph Gottlieb, Franz Kline, Barnett Newman, Jackson Pollock, and Mark Rothko.