Two world wars, sweeping technological change, and the undoing of traditional academic art.
1900–1980 C.E.
Beginner's guide and key concepts
The 20th century saw radical shifts in the way art was made—and it kept on shifting.
Movements in art 1900–1980
Fauvism and Expressionism
Cubism and early abstraction
Dada and Surrealism
German and Italian art between the wars
Latin American modernism
American art to World War II
Postwar American art
Postwar European art
Pop Art
Conceptual and Performance art
Minimalism and Earthworks
Post-Minimalism
Colonial and postcolonial modernisms
Postwar Asia
Architecture and design
All content | Modernisms 1900–1980
Can a urinal count as art? What about a canvas of pure color, or a chair placed in front of a gallery wall? These artists answered yes.
