Michal Ben Ari Series | The Story of American Art in the 20th Century: 2026–27 Season

The Story of American Art in the 20th Century – Made in USA

Michal Ben-Ari – Senior Lecturer and Art Researcher

6 Thursday meetings at 20:00

To mark 250 years of U.S. independence (2026), we invite you on a fascinating journey into the heart of the most exciting artistic revolution of the 20th century.

In this six-lecture series, we will delve into the fascinating range of movements that redefined art in the United States from the 1950s to the present day: from the Abstract Expressionism of Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko, through the iconic rebellion of Robert Rauschenberg and Andy Warhol in Pop Art,

the monumental Land Art works of Robert Smithson, and the feminist art of Judy Chicago and Barbara Kruger.

America is the land of unlimited possibilities—even when it comes to art!

Join us for lectures that will change the way you see art.

22.10 – Abstract Expressionism – Between Drips and Color Fields

The first American movement of the 1950s to put New York on the map of the international art world. From the action paintings of Pollock and de Kooning to the color fields of Rothko and Newman—abstract art reaches new heights.

19.11 – Stripes and Stars – The American Flag Through the Lens of Art

From expressions of patriotism and pride to feminism and the Black struggle for rights in the 1960s, the United States flag as a symbol in American art.

28.1 – The Kingdom of Pop – When Popular Culture Becomes Art

The Pop Art movement of the 1960s dared to blur the boundary between high culture and mass culture. From Rauschenberg and Johns—the precursors of Pop—to the colorful and provocative worlds of Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, and others.

18.3 – Why Are There No Great Women Artists?

Judy Chicago, Miriam Schapiro, Faith Ringgold, and the “first generation” of feminist artists in the United States in the 1970s attempted to answer this question and create art that would pave the way for women in the art world.

8.4 – Painting in the Crosshairs – Art Breaks Out of the Frame

Has painting come to an end? American artists of the 1960s attempted to break free from the constraints of the traditional painting medium and turned to new and surprising forms of expression.

17.6 – Mother Earth – Nature as a Museum

Artists of the 1970s—Robert Smithson, James, and others—left the centers of the major cities and set out to create “Land Art” somewhere far away in the wild American landscape.

Photo: Ilan Porat