Author Description

In revisiting a seminal modernist exhibition, this catalog-cum-reader connects Post-Painterly Abstraction to contemporary art through criticism from the 1960s to the present This volume, Three American Painters: Then And Now is the catalog of a 2024 exhibition that never happened. The show sought to update the historically significant 1965 exhibition Three American Painters, curated by Michael Fried and featuring Kenneth Noland, Jules Olitski and Frank Stella, while expanding its scope to include contemporary painters, sculptors and photographers. Although the exhibition was abruptly canceled, this volume preserves its vision through insightful essays, interviews and a richly illustrated checklist of works. It is an essential resource for understanding Fried's lasting impact on art history and criticism, as well as the ongoing dialogue between past and present American art.