Bob Nickas's 'Painting Abstraction' Surveys 80 Contemporary Painters, Questioning Abstraction's Role

In his 2009 publication, 'Painting Abstraction: New Elements in Abstract Painting,' Bob Nickas explores the work of eighty contemporary abstract artists, intentionally omitting well-known figures such as Robert Mangold and Brice Marden. Released by Phaidon in London, this 352-page book is organized into thematic chapters and includes studio visits with artists like Ruth Root and Alan Uglow. Nickas posits that abstract painting could represent 'a form of imaginative fiction,' yet he notes the absence of a theoretical alternative to Clement Greenberg's ideas. Among the artists featured are Philip Taaffe, Wayne Gonzales, and Karin Davie. Critics argue the book fails to clarify relationships among artists or engage with the politics of abstraction, positioning it as a follow-up to Greenberg's influential 1964 exhibition, 'Post Painterly Abstraction.'