Beyond the Mainstream

A selection of Peter Selz's essays on art and artists of the twentieth century.



This selection of essays, first published in 1998 by a prominent art historian, critic, and curator of modern art, examines the art and artists of the twentieth century who have operated outside the established art world. In lucid and accessible prose, Peter Selz explores modern art as it reflects, and has had an impact on, the tremendous transformation of politics and culture, both in the United States and Europe. An authoritative overview of a neglected phenomenon, his essays explore the complex relationship between art at the periphery and art at the putative centre, and how marginal art has affected that of the mainstream.