Expressionist artists believed in art's ability to communicate emotion, irrespective of any representational or narrative content. In this comprehensive introduction to one of the most radical artistic movements of our time, writer, artist, curator, and educator Colin Rhodes traces the thread of expressionist thought from the nineteenth century to the present day, mapping its various manifestations across Europe and the US, as well as parts of Africa, Asia, and South America.

By paying particular attention to nuanced issues of gender, sexuality, and cultural appropriation, Rhodes challenges the received art-historical narrative and reassesses it in the context of broader twentieth- and twenty-first-century artistic practice. Generously illustrated, the diverse selection of artists featured in this book range from Wassily Kandinsky, Erma Bossi, Francis Bacon, and Mark Rothko to Ursula Schultze-Bluhm, Gillian Ayres, Purvis Young, and Jad