The Cobra Movement in Postwar Europe: Reanimating Art

The Cobra artists were a group of struggling young artists who attempted to reinvent the international avant-garde after the Second World War. They created experimental, often collective art works and publications that related to broader debates in Europe about the use of images to commemorate violent events, the possibility of free expression in an art world constrained by Cold War politics, the breakdown of primitivism in an era of colonial independence movements, and the importance of spontaneity in a society increasingly dominated by the mass media.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 292 pages
Publication date: 01 August 2022
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This captivating book delves into the realm of Cobra, a vibrant network of poets and artists hailing from Copenhagen, Brussels, and Amsterdam (1948-1951). While the name Cobra symbolized the organizers' home cities, the artists behind this movement hailed from diverse backgrounds across Europe, Africa, and the United States. Their collective efforts aimed to reimagine the international avant-garde in the aftermath of World War II, seeking to create artistic experiments that could confront the challenges of a postwar society. Through in-depth exploration, this book sheds light on how Cobras innovative, often collaborative art works and publications intertwined with broader debates in Europe concerning the use of images to commemorate violent events, the boundaries of free expression in an art world influenced by Cold War politics, the dissolution of primitivism in the era of colonial independence movements, and the significance of spontaneity in a society increasingly dominated by mass media. This insightful work will captivate scholars and enthusiasts of art history, 20th-century modern art, avant-garde arts, and European history alike.

Weight: 622g
Dimension: 173 x 247 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367509453