FROM THE PUBLISHER

In this fascinating cultural and social history covering the period from 1945 up to the 1990s, author John A. Walker offers a lucid and accessible account of America's first Cold War cultural offensive, with a special emphasis on the particularly vibrant period of the 1950s and 60s. The first volume to consider the impact of this offensive on such significant movements as abstract impressionism and pop art, this study is brought up to date with a consideration of the decline in the influence of American art in the 1990s and the rise of Brit Art. Many of the painters and sculptors discussed - such as Peter Blake, David Hockney, Richard Hamilton, Bridget Riley, Anthony Caro, Eduardo Paolozzi and R.B. Kitaj - are now internationally renowned. Well illustrated and providing a fresh angle on the work of many leading British and American artists, this is an important and perceptive analysis of cultural imperialism.

SYNOPSIS