The Abstract Expressionism canon. Once you're in, you're in.

Abstract

“Abstract Expressionism is arguably the most important art movement in postwar America.” This statement seems so natural, but that has not always been the case. When did Abstract Expressionism become the canonical American art style it is today? Though hundreds of books have been written on this American art and its artists, discussing its formal, political and cultural aspects, little has been written about its historiography. Art history survey texts are one of the most significant indicators of the canonization of an art style. Once you’re in one, you rarely get kicked out. When was Abstract Expressionism included in an art historical survey books and how has the process of canonizing Abstract Expressionism developed in the second half of the 20th century? Tracing the inclusion of Abstract Expressionism in survey books forms a case study in a broader discussion about the process of canonization of art styles. What are the criteria of selection to be included in an art historical overview? It also demonstrates the ‘acceptance’ period of abstract art in the dominant art historical discourse. My conclusion comprises of a theory of three stages of canonization, in which the third stages indicates a complete canonization. This occurred only in the 1980s for Abstract Expressionism. In my opinion the acceptance or positive reception of Abstract Expressionism is connected to the debate on whether or not action painters had some level of control over the ‘act of painting’.