This lively introduction tells the ever-evolving story of abstract art, tracing its history from the early 1900s right up to the present day. Emerging out of western movements such as Cubism and Expressionism, abstract art quickly became a global phenomenon, changing the face of modern and contemporary art. Stephanie Straine weaves accounts of well-known pioneers with fascinating insights into lesser-known ground-breakers from across the world. Although abstraction in art is often associated with vagueness or the forbiddingly theoretical, for many artists the abstract represents pure simplicity. Straine's vivid discussion demystifies the work of over seventy innovative artists - from Wassily Kandinsky to Emma Kunz and Rana Begum - and develops our appreciation of their conceptual approach. A reference section includes a timeline of key exhibitions of abstract art, suggestions for further reading and a glossary of art terms.

An indispensable introduction to one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century. Part of the pioneering Tate Introductions series. Andy Warhol's work reflected and commented on contemporary themes in American society: consumerism; celebrity; mass production; disaster and death. To capture these ideas he used a wide range of iconic images: Coca Cola; Marilyn Monroe; Elvis Presley; the electric chair; the crashed car; the race riot; and the atomic bomb. His openness to subject matter was matched by a willingness to explore all media, resulting in his innovative approach to painting, photography, drawing and printmaking, and his influential activity as an experimental filmmaker. This book, now beautifully reissued, offers an unmissable portrait of the work and life of Andy Warhol.  Stephanie Straine is curator of exhibitions and projects at Modern Art Oxford and has previously worked at Tate Liverpool and the Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh. She publishes widely on modern and contemporary art.

Jackson Pollock (1912 1956) was one of the most influential and provocative American artists of the 20th century. This fully illustrated book accompanies the first exhibition in over three decades of a crucial phase of his work referred to as the Black Pourings. This controversial body of black enamel and oil paintings, which were exceptional in their absolute merging of color and surface, are accompanied here by drawings that are regarded as his most important and productive. A number of virtually unknown and rarely seen sculptures are also included, illuminating Pollock s experimentations with space, density, and figuration. Accompanying a major exhibition and including insightful essays by a team of scholars, this book reveals a less-known aspect of Pollock s work."