Art and the Second World War

Monica Bohm-Duchen's wide-ranging study of art and the Second World War is a powerful account of the enduring power of artistic images to go beyond photography in making us think about war. Here is an indispensable global history of art and artists in the crucible of the 1939-45 war.' Jay Winter, Charles J. Stille Professor of History, Yale University Art and the Second World War is the first book in English to provide a comprehensive and detailed international overview of the complex and often disturbing relationship between war and the fine arts during this crucial period of modern history. This generously illustrated volume starts by examining the art produced in reaction to the Spanish Civil War (often viewed as ‘the first battle of World War II’), and then looks at painting, sculpture, prints, and drawing in each of the major combatant nations, including Japan and China. Breathtaking in scope, this scholarly yet accessible publication places wartime art within its broader cultural, political, and military contexts while never losing sight of the power and significance of the individual image and the individual artist.