The American Effect

Timely and compelling, The American Effect explores the wide range of global perceptions of American society and culture in the work of artists from around the world. Encompassing both romanticized and demonized visions of the United States, these works-by approximately 50 artists from 30 countries in Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, and the Americas-date from 1990 to the present and include drawing, photography, film, installation, painting, sculpture, video, and Internet art. As America increasingly comes to terms with how it is perceived abroad, this book, and the exhibition it accompanies at the Whitney Museum of American Art, look at how artists, primarily non-American, depict, imagine, and respond to America and its presence in the world. The works convey a range of responses, from anger and antagonism to affection, warmth, and humor. Essays by well-known writers touch on issues raised by the art, and curator Lawrence Rinder discusses each artist's work in context.