Lucien C. Kapp

The motifs and forms in the Abstract Expressionist works of the American painter and graphic artist Lucien C. Kapp can be interpreted as a condensation of the world.

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This book explores the unusual oeuvre of the American painter Lucien C. Kapp, who—largely under the radar of art history—forged a bridge between Abstract Expressionism and the twenty-first century. It discusses his three artistic “homes” of Illinois, Japan, and Styria in Austria, each of which in its own way fired the artist’s imagination and inspired him to “condense the world.” A recurring theme over the years was the expelled Indigenous peoples of the former Mississippian culture: the Illini, the Cahokia, and the Menominee.
In addition, the publication provides a condensed overview of abstract art’s “immigration” to the US after being driven from Europe and Russia by war and dictatorships. At the same time, it illuminates the various standpoints of artists, critics, and art historians on the question of who is allowed to pass judgment on art. Finally, the unconventional, often paradoxical titles that Lucien C. Kapp gave his works are embedded in a short history of work titles.