A Brief History of Protest Art

Art has always declared its dissatisfaction against the status quo. Throughout history artists have used their art to criticise and protest against a range of injustices and inequalities, oppression and violence. Their art is an act of defiance, but more importantly it has given a voice to the voiceless and the marginalised.

This book is a short visual journey through 100 years of protest art. Commencing with the Dada artists, one of the first groups to become known for activist art — opposing bourgeois culture and reacting to the First World War and the nationalism that they thought had led to it — this book showcases the work of seventy artists who have challenged traditional boundaries, spoken up for the powerless and against those who seek to deny people their human and civil rights.

Exploring deeply political and critical art which uses irony, satire, subversion and provocation, it features reactions and responses to war, violence, capitalism, civil rights, gender and racial inequalities, AIDS, climate change, LGBTQ+ rights and the Black Lives Matter movement, in a range of media.

A Brief History of Protest Art reveals the role of art in confronting important political and social issues, and changing attitudes to help create a better future.