A place for representation, self-presentation and communication, resistance and protest – this lavishly illustrated volume investigates the multi-layered significance of the street in the art of the twentieth and twenty-first century as an interface for diverse walks of life and groups through international positions in painting, graphics, photography, film, performance and installation.
Around 1900, the street moved into the focus of artists in the wake of industrialisation and urbanisation as an elemental component of life. Starting with the Futurists and the Expressionists, who made the street a symbol for modern life full of promises and conflicts, the subject runs like a thread through art: as a social psychogram; as the expression of collective and individual longings and fears; within the context of happenings or graffiti; and currently also redefined within the framework of ecology, sustainability and democratic movements.