1970s

A general category for any artwork, design object, or architectural work created during the 1970s. In the United States, the recession of that decade had a significant effect on the art world. The period did not see the development of major new movements, and the tendencies of the 1960s—such as Minimalism and Postminimalism—continued to be the most influential throughout the following decade. At the same time feminist artists became increasingly recognized and, as of 1975, Pattern and Decoration and “new image painting” announced the return of painting as a serious medium practiced by avant-garde artists. Painting would only continue to expand its influence in the 1980s via Neo-Expressionism.