In this talk, Professor Sarah Churchwell examines the social and cultural context that created this first truly American modernist movement and the beginning of New York City’s influence as the centre of the western art world.

An unparalleled period in American art, the rise of Abstract Expressionism in America in the 1930s and 1940s reflected the broader cultural context of mid-20th-century America. Global economic, social and political developments impacted on the American, and in particular New York, art scene and led to the emergence of a movement that broke with conventions and brought American art to prominence worldwide.

Abstract Expressionism: an American art movement

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Abstract Expressionism: an American art movement

Royal Academy of Arts