Post-War Art

The period which followed the Second World War saw rise to some of the most celebrated and diverse modern artworks to date. These pieces inevitably emerged as emblematic responses to the difficult economic, political and social landscape which had been forged by six years of international conflict. Historians argue that this genre of “Post-War" art specifically articulated the bipolarity between left and right-wing political structures at the end of the war. 

The characteristics of artistic styles at the end of the war differed on either end of the globe, as though these styles had been shaped by each nation's unique post-war circumstances. The pro-Democratic West made notable innovations in abstraction, an effort which was spearheaded in New York City by such artists as Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko. Meanwhile, European artists tended to more figurative realist styles. The Soviet Union even pioneered its own style of Socialist Realism, which was propagated by the nation's own Fine Arts Department.

The certainly testing conditions of the post-war world lent themselves to a true variety in artistic endeavor. Our experts have curated a selection of the artists whose work punctuated this period, as well as the artists whose style echoes the trends of the years following the Second World War. Amongst our list, you will find works by Francis Bacon, Yves Klein and Diane Arbus.