Marxism and Art History: From William Morris to the New Left

Marxism and Art History is positioned as an anthology compiling Marxist art history literature, tracing a line from William Morris to the New Left.

This book is an anthology on Marxist art history written by 11 authors. In the "Introduction," the book's editor Andrew Hemingway writes that this book focuses on the re-evaluation of Marxist art history and aesthetic literature up to the 1985s, and that it is a continuation of a project that emerged with the rise of a New Left understanding of art history. When the book is titled Marxism and Art History, the scope and period it covers push the boundaries that the compilers intended to focus on.

The articles in the book are primarily about the thoughts and works of Marxist art and art history writers who have made an impact and left their mark on the subject. Marxism and Art History is a good reference for those who want to know and follow the Marxist art discussions of the 20th century, which sometimes include Marx and Engels.

Hemingway reminds us that Marx intended to write on aesthetics, but never quite managed to do so. Therefore, he writes that Marxist aesthetic theory can only be constructed by bringing together the scattered narratives found in Marx and Engels' texts on other subjects.

The anthology attempts to do just that. By updating forgotten authors whose ideas on the subject are still important today, it also guides readers interested in the topic.

The book includes articles on William Morris, Mikhail Lifshits, Frederick Antal, Francis Klingender, David Bindman, Walter Benjamin, Meyer Schapiro, Henry Lefebvre, Arnold Hauser, George Lukacs, and Theodor Adorno.

Additionally, the articles "The International of New Left Art History" by the book's editor Andrew Hemingway, and "New Left Art History and Fascism in Germany" by Jutta Held, as their titles suggest, offer informative and thought-provoking historical insights.