Art of the Avant-Gardes discusses the development of modern art in the first third of the twentieth century. It introduces the main themes of art in the period and summarizes the political context in which art developed: the First World War, the Russian Revolution, and the subsequent consolidation of the European dictatorships. The book is the second volume in the Art of the Twentieth Century series. With hundreds of full color illustrations, the book presents numerous case studies that illuminate the important idea of "expression" in art, related questions of Orientalism and the "primitive," aspects of Cubism, the development of abstract art, and the radical avant-garde movements--Dada, Soviet Constructivism, Surrealism.