The World New Made: Figurative Painting in the Twentieth Century

The World New Made is a celebration of the richness of figurative painting over the last 100 years and a critique of the accepted history of art in the 20th century. It presents a collective 'Resistance' of over fifty individual painters who offer a human-centred alternative to the dominance of the Abstract or the Conceptual in modern art. The book is structured as in-depth studies of more than 130 specific artworks, bringing these often marginalized artists to the center stage.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 256 pages
Publication date: 10 February 2022
Publisher: Thames & Hudson Ltd

A celebration of the richness of figurative painting over the last 100 years and a passionate critique of the accepted history of art in the 20th century.

Figurative painting is due a reappraisal. In this passionately argued volume, the distinguished writer and artist Timothy Hyman cuts a new path through the tangle of twentieth-century art.

The World New Made explores the work of more than fifty individual painters, presenting a collective "Resistance" who together offer a human-centred alternative to the dominance of the Abstract or the Conceptual in conventional narratives of modern art.

Structured not as a survey but as in-depth studies of more than 130 specific artworks, this lavishly illustrated book brings these often marginalized artists centre-stage: not just Alice Neel and Balthus, Max Beckmann and Frida Kahlo, but also Marsden Hartley and Charlotte Salomon, Bhupen Khakhar and Jacob Lawrence. A rich cast is brought to life, partly through their own writings. As the author argues, "All across the world, isolated artists found new idioms for human-centred painting in the midst of modern life."

This book is a testament to the power of figurative painting to capture the human experience and to challenge the dominant narratives of art history. It is a must-read for anyone interested in the art of the 20th century and in the ongoing struggle for a more human-centred approach to art-making.

Weight: 1020g
Dimension: 191 x 260 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780500296530