This comprehensive and authoritative study of post-war American art begins with Abstract Expressionism and concludes with the experimental and radical art of the beginning of the 21st century. Along the way David Joselit analyses what has shaped American art: how the mass media has framed the way in which artists view the world; how the issue of personal identity has emerged as a powerful political platform; and how traditional art media have been joined by readymade commodities, film, video, text and multiple other art forms. In juxtaposition with canonical movements and figures - Oldenburg, Johns, Warhol, Ruscha, Sherman, Schnabel, Koons and Barney - Joselit introduces lesser known contemporary artists and practices. Fully illustrated, this book offers a look at one of the most dynamic and controversial periods in art history.