A comprehensive new overview of expressionism, tracing its evolution from the nineteenth century to the present day.

Expressionist artists believed in the art object’s ability to communicate emotion, irrespective of any representational or narrative content. In this comprehensive introduction to one of the most radical artistic movements of our time, writer, artist, curator and educator Colin Rhodes traces the thread of expressionist thought from the nineteenth century to the present day, mapping its various manifestations across Europe and the USA, as well as parts of Africa, Asia and South America.

By paying particular attention to nuanced issues of gender, sexuality, and cultural appropriation Rhodes challenges the received art-historical narrative and reassesses it in the context of broader twentieth and twenty-first century artistic practice. Generously illustrated, the diverse selection of artists featured in this book range from Wassily Kandinsky, Erma Bossi, Francis Bacon, and Mark Rothko to Ursula Schultze-Bluhm, Gillian Ayres, Purvis Young and Jadé Fadojutimi.

'A wonderfully different account from anything that exists so far' - Peter Vergo, Emeritus Professor of Philosophy and Art History, University of Essex

Colin Rhodes is a writer, artist and educator. He has written and lectured widely on modern and contemporary art, and is a specialist on expressionism, primitivism, and outsider art. He is the author of Primitivism & Modern Art, Outsider Art: Spontaneous Alternatives and The World According to Roger Ballen, all published by Thames & Hudson. He has worked in universities in the UK and Australia and is currently distinguished professor at Hunan Normal University, China.