What is Postmodern Art? The Genre Defined in 8 Iconic Works

Postmodern art replaced and responded to modernism, paving the way for the rise of contemporary art in popular culture. Emerging in the mid-20th century and lasting until the early 2000s, postmodern art is difficult to define given its penchant for variety and innovation. However, some recurring attributes characterize this artistic style, as seen in the major works below.

Two authors were instrumental in establishing the term ‘postmodernism’ and defining the nature of postmodern art. One was Charles Jencks with his essay The Rise of Postmodern Architecture (1975). Second was Jean-Fraçois Lyotard with his text La Condition Postmodernism (1979). Even if these writings coined the term postmodernism, it must be emphasized again that postmodern art cannot be limited to a single style or theory. Many art forms are considered postmodern art. These include Pop Art, Conceptual Art, Neo-Expressionism, Feminist Art, and the art of the Young British Artists in the 1990s.

Postmodern Art: Criticism, Skepticism, and Irony

Jean-François Lyotard and other theorists defined several characteristics of postmodern art. The movement is known for rejecting modernism’s unshakable belief in progress, which was brought into disrepute by 20th-century totalitarian politics. Another key characteristic is the doubt about the existence of an objectively comprehensible reality, which led to a main concept of postmodern art called “plurality.” According to postmodern ideas, all knowledge and perception are relative. This was expressed in postmodernist art through criticism, skepticism, and irony. For many artists, the writings of the French philosopher Jacques Lacan built an important philosophical foundation. Below are the eight most iconic examples of postmodern art.

1. Andy Warhol – Marilyn Diptych (1962): An Emblem of Early Postmodern Art

The work Marilyn Diptych from 1962 is a silkscreen by Pop Art artist Andy Warhol. The diptych consists of a left and a right panel, showing once in color and once in black and white a portrait of the actress Marilyn Monroe. The portrait of Marilyn Monroe is a press photograph from the 1950s, which Warhol used some ten years later for his art.

The artwork Marilyn Diptych (1962) can be described as postmodern art for various reasons. Andy Warhol plays with a typical aesthetic for the advertising industry that was typical for Warhol’s art, too. The artwork and Warhol’s technique also remind the viewer of newspaper printing. Using this in his diptych, the artist challenged the classical form of representation known from modern art.

Furthermore, the repetition of the portrait within the diptych can be read as an ironic commentary on increasing mass production as well as on authenticity in art. Andy Warhol often questioned the traditional idea of high art in his prints and paintings. His works of art can be seen as a playful answer to this question. Warhol himself considered this query for several years as he made multiple works from the same photograph of Marilyn Monroe, each skyrocketing to fame and popularity despite having the same source material.

Roy Lichtenstein‘s Whaam! is a large-format painting consisting of two parts. In its form, the painting is reminiscent of a comic strip, as the motifs, the speech bubbles, and the onomatopoeia in the picture remind the viewer of the aesthetics of a comic strip. In reflection of postmodern art’s variety, this aesthetic fundamentally differs from the artwork by Andy Warhol presented above.

Lichtenstein’s work of art can also be considered postmodern because it dissolves the boundaries between high culture and pop culture. Unlike Warhol, Lichtenstein confronts the classical method of painting with motifs that did not previously exist in modern art.

The composition of the work Whaam! comes from a panel created by the comic artist Irv Novick. This is part of the comic All-American Men of War (1962). In postmodern art, there was a recurring discussion of the two world wars that people experienced in the 20th century. Roy Lichtenstein’s piece is not a clear confrontation with the Second World War. However, the choice of motif and its presentation in pop aesthetics can be interpreted as an ironic commentary on the glorification of war.

Whaam! is one of the most popular works in the Tate Museum’s collection. It has been displayed almost constantly since its acquisition in 1966 and requires careful conservation work to preserve its vibrant qualities.

3. Joseph Kosuth – One And Three Chairs (1965)

Joseph Kosuth is a famous conceptual artist. His work One And Three Chairs dates from 1965 and is a prime example of conceptual art. The work is a form of artistic examination of Plato’s philosophy and a reflection of Plato’s allegory of the cave. In this allegory, the idea of an object represents the highest of all realities.

With his work One And Three Chairs, Kosuth also reacted to modern artists’ assumption that an artwork must always be an object. For Kosuth, the idea stands above the work of art as an object. In this sense, One And Three Chairs can also be read as a critical commentary on the idea of a universal truth.

With performance art as a new form, many artists in the 1950s and 1960s challenged the relationship between artwork and the viewer. Performance artist Carolee Schneemann radically did this. In her performance Interior Scroll, the artist undressed in front of an audience. She then read from her book Cézanne, She Was A Great Painter (1967) while nude. Then Schneeman painted her body and, after a while, she slowly pulled a strip of paper out of her vagina. She then read aloud the text that was written on the paper strip.

Carolee Schneemann’s performance here is directed against all classical ideas of art and high culture that still existed in the middle of the 20th century. The performance is an act of feminism that questions the meaning and classical (re-)presentation of the female body. With the performance of Schneemann’s book about the artist Cézanne, Carolee Schneemann also openly gave a side blow to modernism, as Paul Cézanne was an important figure in modern painting.

5. Cindy Sherman – Untitled Film Still #21 (1978)

This black and white photograph is part of Cindy Sherman’s Untitled Film Stills series, which the artist created between 1977 and 1980. What we see here is a female film heroine, a young career woman, in a costume and with a hat. In her Untitled Film Stills, Cindy Sherman portrayed several stereotypical female characters: the vamp, the victim, the lover, the career woman, etc.

The photography series appears in this list of postmodern artworks for a reason: Sherman’s photographs deal with fragmented, post-modern identity. Cindy Sherman represents this fragmented identity as she is always the photographer and subject of photography at the same time. The motifs of the photographs can also be read as a critical commentary on the female film reels of the 1950s.

This work by the artist couple Gilbert & George is an example of postmodern art which is particularly characterized by its irony. In this short film, initially reminiscent of a commercial, Gilbert & George are seen doing nothing more than drinking the “best gin” of the 1970s (Gordon’s Gin was famous at this time). The expressionlessness of the artists in the video, as well as the strict and tension-free plot and the repeated statement “Gordon’s makes us very drunk,” creates an absurd film piece. In their work, Gilbert & George make fun of the advertising industry but also traditional notions of identity and elitist behavior.

7. Guerilla Girls – Do Women Have To Be Naked To Get Into The Met. Museum? (1989)

The second wave of feminism also falls into the era of postmodernism. Many female artists and feminist groups such as the Guerilla Girls have incorporated their political views and the fight for more women’s rights in works of postmodern art. With their graphic work Do Women Have To Be Naked To Get Into The Met. Museum? (1989), the Guerilla Girls criticized art institutions. They drew attention to the fact that women as (naked) motifs are a welcome fixture in large and renowned museums, but as artists, they find it difficult to enter these houses with their own works.

8. Damien Hirst – The Physical Impossibility Of Death In The Mind Of Someone Living (1991)

Damien Hirst‘s The Physical Impossibilities of Death In The Mind of Someone Living (1991) is also known as The Shark. The reason for this is the content of this work of art, which is a tiger shark in formaldehyde. The artist Damien Hirst was part of the Young British Artists, who became known for their provocative and shocking works of art. In this artwork, Damien Hirst confronts the viewers of his artwork with their own death, which is manifested in the tiger shark.

This selection of postmodern artwork should make you understand what the term postmodernism means. The selection shows that postmodern art is an elusive term. As a genre, postmodern art includes performance art, multimedia art, digital art, installation art, and intermedia. Postmodern art can have infinite variations, as the deviation from the norm became the ‘program’ of this art at the peak of its time.

Originally published: October 31, 2020. Last update: July 27, 2024 by Elizabeth Berry