Abstract Art: A Global History - Paperback

by Pepe Karmel (Author)

In his fresh take on abstract art, now available in paperback and expanded to include sixteen new contemporary artists from six continents, noted art historian Pepe Karmel chronicles the movement from a global perspective, while embedding abstraction in a recognizable reality. Moving beyond the canonical terrain of abstract art, the author demonstrates how artists from around the world have used abstract imagery to express social, cultural, and spiritual experience.

Karmel builds this fresh approach to abstract art around five inclusive themes: body, landscape, cosmology, architecture, and man--made signs and patterns. In the process, this history develops a series of narratives that go far beyond the established figures and movements traditionally associated with abstract art. Each narrative is complemented by a number of featured abstract works, arranged in thought--provoking pairings with accompanying extended captions that provide an in--depth analysis. This wide--ranging examination incorporates work from Asia, Australia, Africa, and South America, as well as Europe and North America, through artists ranging from Wu Guanzhong, Joan Miró, Jackson Pollock, to Hilma af Klint, and Odili Donald Odita. Breaking new ground, Karmel has forged a new history of this key art movement.

Back Jacket

Revised edition with sixteen new contemporary artists from six continents, redefining abstract art for our time.

"Abstract art is always rooted in experience of the real world." So begins art historian Pepe Karmel's bold exploration of the origins and evolution of abstract art. Traditional histories have focused on formal innovations and a core group of European and North American artists, often treating abstraction as a series of "isms" detached from real-world experience. Karmel moves beyond established movements, shifting his attention to subject matter and content rather than solely color and form. Taking a global perspective, he explores how artists have used abstract imagery to convey personal, social, and political experiences.

This wide-ranging study foregoes standard chronology to explore themes as diverse as bodies, landscapes, cosmologies, architectures, and signs. Alongside detailed analysis of established figures including Piet Mondrian, Hilma af Klint, Jackson Pollock, and Anni Albers, Karmel highlights lesser-known artists such as Wu Guanzhong, Laura Lim, and Odili Donald Odita, offering a truly inclusive view of abstract art.