The War of Art:A History of Artists' Protest In America

[The War of Art] explores the interplay of activism and art in these thought-provoking case studies…O’Neill-Butler succeeds in cataloging the broad array of strategies artists have used to agitate for change, and she offers measured critiques of their works, which often reflected positions of privilege. Art historians will find much to chew on here.

Invoking Sun Tzu’s The Art of War, O’Neill-Butler explores the subversive, surprising, and often brilliant tactics of artists fighting for social change…A rare behind-the-scenes look at artist/activists who took on the AIDS crisis, police brutality, and art-world elitism.

Walk through New York’s gleaming gallery neighborhoods and the notion that art (or artists) could be considered edgy, provocative or dangerously political seems like a fantasy. But in the not-so-distant past, dedicated artists used their work to fight for everything from housing rights to AIDS awareness. Butler, a former editor at Artforum, has structured the book around oral histories from several key figures, charting their work from the 1960s to the present.

This timely tome by Lauren O’Neill-Butler charts the history of artistic-activist debate going back to the 1960s, drawing on oral history work related to the Black Emergency Cultural Coalition, Women Artists in Revolution, ACT UP, and other organizations, as well as art by Agnes Denes, Edgar Heap of Birds, fierce pussy, and Nan Goldin, among others.

A book with backbone ... I hope that readers take The War of Art’s generous insights to heart.

The War of Art: A History of Artists’ Protest in America comes at a moment when many of us are considering what tools we have to create the world we want to live in. Artists have long grappled with this question, O’Neill-Butler reminds us, as many have even fused their aesthetic inclinations with their desires for justice."

The book honors the passion and integrity of artists who identify a problem and conceive of creative ways to protest. It demonstrates that activist artists, when determined, can use their work to influence our thinking in positive ways, and effect change.

Prescient, daring.

O’Neill-Butler offers an essential corrective to the idea that art history excludes politics, arguing instead that they are intricately linked. At a time in which many artists are understandably feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and unproductive, The War of Art is an essential call to action and a reminder that our work has the power to create lasting change.

There is no dearth of books about art and activism — in fact, I dare say there have been more titles on this subject in recent years than any of us has the patience to read. But Lauren O’Neill-Butler’s The War of Art stands apart for a simple reason: It is engaging, propulsive writing that not only looks back at history, but also reveals timely lessons for the art-as-resistance of today.

With artist-led protests once again becoming a thing – from the thousands of actors and filmmakers who recently pledged to boycott the Israeli movie industry in response to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, to the presence of a 12-foot statue depicting President Trump and the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein frolicking on the National Mall, this book about the past provides a powerful frame for thinking about artist-led actions today.

Brisk and deeply informed, O’Neill-Butler’s book is as straightforward as Clark’s and Koerner’s are elliptical. All stand as powerful protests against the kind of amnesia the current administration promotes.

O’Neill-Butler utilizes archival research and hundreds of hours of oral histories to create nuanced portraits of key people and groups, and she delves into the questions motivating and compelling their efforts: How do slogans travel across media channels? When does protest transform into action? And how can that action move beyond the symbolic realm?