This book examines the artistic policies of the Italian Communist Party (PCI) during the early post-war years (1944–1951), after the defeat of Fascism in Europe and the outbreak of the Cold War. It brings together theoretical debates on artists’ political engagement and an extensive critical apparatus, providing the reader with an historical framework for wider reflections on the relationship between art and politics. After 1944, the PCI became the biggest Communist organisation in the West, placing Italy in an ambiguous position regarding the other European countries. Nevertheless, the immediate strategy of the Communists was not revolution, but liberation from Fascism and the establishment of a democratic system from which a genuine Italian path to Socialism could be found. Taking Antonio Gramsci’s notion of hegemony as a theoretical basis, the Communists intended to generate a progressive social bloc capable of achieving wide consensus within civil society before taking power. In order to accomplish this goal, the collaboration from intellectuals was necessary. The artistic policy of the Italian Communist Party was tailored to this end, counting on representatives from all groups and tendencies of the time, particularly those artists who rejected the imperialistic, autarchic pseudo-classicism that characterised most of Italian art throughout the Fascist years. In the 1930s, international, Modernist and cosmopolitan European culture became an escape route to artists seeking a way out of the oppressive cultural atmosphere of inter-war Italy. However, in the 1940s and 1950s, many of these artists experienced a deep transformation in their work after they became politically involved with the PCI, and were exposed to international Communist culture – and Socialist Realism in particular. This was conveyed not only by conscious changes in their subjects, their style and their material means of expression, but also in the public they addressed and in their own conception of themselves as artistic authors. Hence, at a time when the world was divided into two opposed camps, each heavily inflected by ideological allegiance and supported by powerful propaganda apparatuses, Italian Communist artists became the protagonists of a novel intellectual-political project which pursued the synthesis between antagonistic cultural blocs.

Italian printmakers were at the forefront of contemporary stylistic movements. They pioneered Futurism, Metaphysical Painting and Arte Povera. Morandi, De Chirico and Fontana are just some of the major artists in this medium who are discussed in this book.Independence in Italy in 1861 led to a remarkable revival of high quality printmaking. This catalogue discusses the Italians' engagement with naturalism, realism and symbolism as well as their relationships with other European artists. At the end of the nineteenth century the foundation of the Venice Biennale and a series of prominent international exhibitions had an enormous impact on the Italian work. They were influenced by French, German, Swiss, British and American printmaking.This fully illustrated catalogue is the first publication of its kind and draws from the collection recently founded by The British Museum, supplemented with works from the Estorick, Tate Modern and Victoria and Albert Museum. Included are 123 works by 45 artists, introduced by a general discussion of printmaking in Italy since the beginning of the nineteeenth century.

A new title of the 5-volume series covering the fundamental events and pivotal works of international art in the 20th century. With the third volume, this history of art goes past the halfway mark of the 20th century to enter the contemporary sphere. The book relates how artists reacted to the greatest tragedy of the 20th century and responded to the advent of the society of mass communication and consumption, to the moulding of the world in which we find ourselves ever more deeply immersed today. The collapse and rebirth of Europe, the years of the Cold War and the evolution leading to the upheavals of 1968 are fundamental themes of this third volume.

Lucio Fontana (1899-1968) is widely regarded as one of the most influential and innovative post-World War II Italian artists. This title presents a technical study in English of this important painter and an informative overview of Fontana's life and work.