Overview of Postmodern Art
As with all definitions of postmodernism, postmodernist art is characterized as a rebellion against the modern (including realism and the artistic elite). To be more precise, there are actually several avant-garde art movements associated with the birth of postmodernism, the most notable of which are described below:| Futurism | Early rebels against tradition who expressed a love for speed, technology and violence |
| Dada | A form of nihilistic anti-art which was ironically legitimized and commercialized (includes Duchamp's "readymades") |
| Surrealism | Style which pursues a dream-like state, perceived as "truer" than reality |
| Pop Art | Emphasizes kitschy "low art", mass-production, and commodification of culture. Warhol is known as the "Pope of Pop Art" |
| Postmodern | Culmination where all artistic novelty has been previously explored and meaning is replaced by fashion |
Postmodern Artists
The Reason for the Neutron Bomb
- 50,000 nickels and match sticks representing enormous buildup of Soviet tanks in eastern Europe
LAPD Uniforms - A row of ominous uniforms released two years after the Rodney King beating
LAPD Uniforms - A row of ominous uniforms released two years after the Rodney King beating
Unique Forms of Continuity in Space
- Marching figure is shaped and polished by the Futurist motifs of wind, speed, and machinery
Dynamism of the Body - Abstract, that like all of Boccioni's work, expresses dynamism and energy
Dynamism of the Body - Abstract, that like all of Boccioni's work, expresses dynamism and energy
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Nude Descending a Staircase
- Early work that combines cubism and futurism, expresses motion through superimposed images
Fountain - Urinal signed as "R. Mutt" and originally rejected, but ironically became legitimized because of Duchamp's brand name
Fountain - Urinal signed as "R. Mutt" and originally rejected, but ironically became legitimized because of Duchamp's brand name
Your Body is a Battleground
- Silk-screened and split photograph that critiques the idealized version of beauty portrayed in the media
I Shop Therefore I Am - Commentary on materialism and our culture's default form of identification
I Shop Therefore I Am - Commentary on materialism and our culture's default form of identification
Roy Lichtenstein
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Prints,
Books,
Foundation,
Biography
Drowning Girl
- Adaptation of a DC Comic that accentuates the melodrama, ambiguity, and style of pop artBlam - Stylized cartoon violence featuring a pilot ejected from an exploding inverted jet
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The Treachery Of Images: "This is not a Pipe"
- Artistic comentary on semiotics and simulacra, discussed by Michael Foucault
The Son of Man - Famous self potrait with a bowler hat and face obscured by a green apple
The Son of Man - Famous self potrait with a bowler hat and face obscured by a green apple
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F-111
- Enormous room sized painting depicts a larger than life view of the links between American commericalism and the military
President Elect - John F. Kennedy campaign poster turned commentary on commodification and middle class consumerism
President Elect - John F. Kennedy campaign poster turned commentary on commodification and middle class consumerism
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Campbells Soup Can
- Simple iconic soup cans that originally caused an uproar over art featuring mundane commercial products
10 Marilyns - Reflection of the commercialization of culture and the transformation of Marilyn Monroe into a mass-produced symbol
Triple Elvis - Another example of Warhol's obsession with American cultural icons
10 Marilyns - Reflection of the commercialization of culture and the transformation of Marilyn Monroe into a mass-produced symbol
Triple Elvis - Another example of Warhol's obsession with American cultural icons
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CafePress - Gifts and Fan Art:
Museums Featuring Postmodern Art
Center On Contemporary Art - Seattle gallery dedicated to the advancement, development, and understanding of contemporary art
Contemporary Museum of Art - Baltimore's Contemporary Museum of Art
Guggenheim, Bilbao - One of Guggenheim's new European centers whose iconic architecture has eclipsed the original's
Guggenheim, New York - Famous collection of both modern and contemporary works
Los Angles County Museum of Art - At the time of this writing is currently holding an exhibition on Magritte
Metropolitain Museum of Art - One of the largest museums in the world, features a wide array of Postmoden artists including Warhol
Millenium Park - Chicago center for art, music, architecture and landscape design which itself is a postmodern icon
Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego - La Jolla museum with works from artists like Chris Burden and Barbara Kruger
Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago - Devoted to contemporary culture including painting, sculpture, photography, video and film
Museum of Modern Art, New York - Dedicated to being the world's foremost museum of modern art, features Rosenquist's F-111
Philadelphia Museum of Art - Boasts a wide collection of both modern and contemporary art
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art - Boasts a large collection of technology and media arts
The Warhol - Site of the official Andy Warhol Museum
Contemporary Museum of Art - Baltimore's Contemporary Museum of Art
Guggenheim, Bilbao - One of Guggenheim's new European centers whose iconic architecture has eclipsed the original's
Guggenheim, New York - Famous collection of both modern and contemporary works
Los Angles County Museum of Art - At the time of this writing is currently holding an exhibition on Magritte
Metropolitain Museum of Art - One of the largest museums in the world, features a wide array of Postmoden artists including Warhol
Millenium Park - Chicago center for art, music, architecture and landscape design which itself is a postmodern icon
Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego - La Jolla museum with works from artists like Chris Burden and Barbara Kruger
Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago - Devoted to contemporary culture including painting, sculpture, photography, video and film
Museum of Modern Art, New York - Dedicated to being the world's foremost museum of modern art, features Rosenquist's F-111
Philadelphia Museum of Art - Boasts a wide collection of both modern and contemporary art
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art - Boasts a large collection of technology and media arts
The Warhol - Site of the official Andy Warhol Museum
General Links to Postmodern Art
Articles and Critiques
Unacknowledged Roots and Blatant Imitation: Postmodernism and the Dada Movement - Paper by David Locher
New York Art Crit - Art history and reviews by John Haber
Eyecon Art - Trends in postmodern art
Why Art Became Ugly - Critique of Postmodern Art by Stephen Hicks
Post-Postmodernism - Another essay by Stephen Hicks describing postmodernism as a cynical dead-end
New York Art Crit - Art history and reviews by John Haber
Eyecon Art - Trends in postmodern art
Why Art Became Ugly - Critique of Postmodern Art by Stephen Hicks
Post-Postmodernism - Another essay by Stephen Hicks describing postmodernism as a cynical dead-end
Postmodern Art: Top Picks at Amazon.com
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