Working Paper: NBER ID: w8830
Authors: David W. Galenson
Abstract: A survey of the illustrations in textbooks of modern art demonstrates that scholars do consider Jackson Pollock the most important modern American painter, but not by a wide margin over Jasper Johns and Andy Warhol, the leading artists of the following generation. The distribution of the illustrations furthermore reveals a sharp contrast in the careers of the major artists of these two generations: the Abstract Expressionists produced their most important contributions late in their careers, whereas their successors innovated early in theirs. This difference resulted from the differing approaches of the artists, for the Abstract Expressionists were experimental innovators, who developed new visual images by a process of trial and error, while the leading artists of the 1960s were conceptual innovators, whose work embodied new ideas.
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JEL Codes: No JEL codes provided
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Generational differences in artistic approaches (Z11) | Timing of major contributions (B31) |
| Experimental approach (C99) | Timing of major contributions (B31) |
| Methodical approach (C90) | Age at which recognition achieved (L26) |
| Abstract expressionists' median age (Z11) | Timing of significant works (C41) |
| Succeeding generation's median age (J11) | Timing of significant works (C41) |
| Illustrations in art history textbooks (Y90) | Perceived importance of works (A31) |