The first publication to focus on the Art Institute's outstanding collection of American modernism, this volume includes over 175 important paintings, sculptures, decorative art objects, and works on paper made in North America between World War II and 1955. Together they fully reveal the history of American art in these decades, including examples of early modernism, Social Realism, Surrealism, and Abstract Expressionism. Among the paintings are such iconic works as Hopper's Nighthawks and Wood's American Gothic, along with notable pieces by Davis, De Kooning, Hartley, Lawrence, Marin, O'Keeffe, Pollock, and Sheeler. Among the sculptors represented are Calder, Cornell, and Noguchi. Spectacular decorative artwork by the Eameses, Grotell, Neutra, Saarinen, F. L. Wright, and Zeisel are also featured. Illustrated in full colour, each work is accompanied by an accessible and up-to-date text, complete with comparative illustrations. The introduction traces the formation of this important collection by a number of noted curators, collectors, and patrons.