Pluralism & Art in the 1980s I: The Return of Figurative Art: Neo-Expressionism
Dr. Michael Salcman, art historian, poet and neurosurgeon

Art in the 1980s was a wild, mercantile river into which many artistic streams flowed.  This was the decade that ended the hegemony of abstract art and the dominance of America in the art avant-garde.  Once reviled, the pluralist 1980s now are viewed as the launch platform of Post-modernist art and contemporary art today. In a 3-part series, Michael Salcman will explore some of the main artistic streams during this decade. 

The 1980s was a time of meteoric growth both economically and artistically. Consumerism ruled and Conceptualism and Minimalism gave way to the return of painting and figurative art, or what became known as Neo-Expressionism. German, Italian, and somewhat later, American artists, combined vigorous Abstract-Expressionist brushwork with recognizable content.  Francis Picabia was influential and ancient myths, fascism, contemporary suburban life and portraits became the subject matter for many artists.

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