American Icons

Since the middle of the 20th century, the United States has become the leader of the art market. The awarding of the Golden Lion to the American Rauschenberg at the Venice Biennale in 1964 testifies to the shift in prestige from the Paris school to that of New York. Today, in addition to its vast network of museums with remarkable collections, New York has the highest concentration of artists, which translates into the city's extremely creative DNA. 

Some of the American icons of the artistic sphere that may come to mind include the following mentors of modern art: Edward Hopper, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Georgia O'Keeffe, Man Ray, Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol, Keith Haring... Someone like Norman Rockwell is known for his storytelling. Rockwell was able to present a realistic depiction of daily life behind the facade of the American Dream. Jean-Michel Basquiat for example, showed the elevation of urban art to the rank of fine art. These American artistic icons paved the way for more recent talents such as Shepard Fairey (1970), JonOne (1963) and Jeff Koons (1955). These artists amongst many others on Artsper play with the ideas of commercial art, the elevation of street art and politics activism in their artwork that depicts a true image of life in modern America. Check out some American artists who follow in their footsteps.