Coffee Table Book Modern Art

Most art historians agree that the adventure of modernity began about 150 years ago in Paris, when the Impressionists said goodbye to the classical academic art and made art wild. Instead of heroic scenes, they chose themes from everyday life and turned their backs on the dictation of established art salons by organizing their own exhibitions. After this first attack on the art establishment, there was no stopping it. The urge to provoke, renew and inspire gave birth to one modernist movement after another: symbolism, expressionism, futurism, dada, abstract art, nouveau réalisme, surrealism, abstract expressionism, pop art, minimalism and conceptual art. This volume traces the development of modern art through the major works that broke the conventional views of their time, violated taboos and pushed boundaries. Essays introduce the most important and influential movements of modernity and explain the works and artists.