The American Art Book

The American Art Book is a vibrant, fresh overview of the most influential & best-loved American artists from Colonial times to the present. Covering three centuries, it ranges from Puritan portraits, the luminous paintings of the Hudson River School & the American Impressionists, through to the videos & digital works of today's most intriguing conceptual artists. Like the enormously popular Art Book, it presents 500 artists in an A to Z format which departs from the usual emphasis on genres & time periods: Jenny Holzer faces Winslow Homer, & Robert Mapplethorpe sits next to Grandma Moses, encouraging readers to contemplate the connections between art, American history & popular culture. Each artist is represented by a full-page colour plate of a characteristic work, accompanied by an informative & engaging text which places the image & artist in the context of contemporary movements & preceding traditions. The book includes an easy-to-use glossary of artistic terms & movements, & a directory of museums & public collections across the United States & around the world with important holdings of American art, making it a valuable reference work as well as a stimulating way to approach this rich & varied subject.