Twentieth Century Art (The Twentieth Century) - Hardcover

This illustrated book provides an introduction to the major artists and movements of the 20th century from cubism to land art. The author discusses the ideas and personalities behind movements as diverse as surrealism and pop and looks at the impact of modern Western art in countries such as Mexico, Africa and Australia. The book opens by setting the scene at the turn of the century. In 1905 the first group of modern artists appeared at the autumn salon in Paris, led by the Fauvist French painter and sculptor Henri Matisse. It follows the birth of cubism, Dadaism and the rise of New York as the new centre of the art world. By the mid 1950s, the economic and social climate of the Western world was changing rapidly. Art and the media reflected a new emphasis on the material comforts of a consumer society.