Abstract Expressionism is the most important art movement since the Second World War. Although it is often considered a revolution in painting alone – for the images created by such leading figures as Jackson Pollock, Clyfford Still, Willem de Kooning and Mark Rothko remain altogether extraordinary – its radical spirit extended further, encompassing the sculpture of David Smith and Aaron Siskind’s photography.

Along with other key artists such as Barnett Newman and Franz Kline, these artists formed a nucleus united not just against the tensions of American society from the 1930s onwards, but also in their aim to forge diverse new visual languages.

David Anfam, a noted authority on the subject, explores the movement in terms of its political implications and rich cultural contexts, bringing many fresh insights to the works themselves.

Taking into account a wealth of scholarship, this new edition also has nearly one hundred works reproduced in colour.