A powerful reminder of what art can do.

The War of Art is an insightful and timely look at the long and often underappreciated history of artistic activism in America. O’Neill-Butler makes a strong case for the role of artists as agents of change, weaving together decades of protests, movements, and creative resistance.

The book feels well-researched and passionate, and it sheds light on stories that deserve far more attention. It’s not always a light read, but it’s deeply rewarding if you’re interested in how art intersects with politics and social justice.

Overall, this is a valuable and thought-provoking read. Four stars for its depth, its relevance, and its ability to inspire.

Lauren O'Neill-Butler, The War of Art A History of Artists' Protest In America, Verso Books (US)|Verso, June 2025

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with this uncorrected proof for review.

This is a huge undertaking, with its dense roll call of information, detailed discussions of various artists, their motivation, and the application of this to their work. The density, and the multitude of ideas and information made this a difficult read. Rather than what I expected, a lively interpretation of the causes embraced by the artists, their successes and failures, the impact of the political environment at the government and community level, and the type of art that artists used to achieve their aims, I felt overwhelmed. So many of these issues are canvassed, but the way in which various strands are muted by the over serious nature of the writing and extraneous detail (or so it seems) makes understanding them difficult.

Where O’Neill – Butler excels is in giving a voice to relatively unknown artists and their work. Again, the mountain of detail needs to be surmounted, but an avid interrogator of this will find valuable material. It just takes some work, and a determination to follow the trails.

The work is supplemented by notes for each chapter, and an Index is to be published when the volume is finalised. The chapter headings might provide some useful pointers to readers familiar with the periods and terminology in coming to grips with the volume of material – The Jacket; Women Artists in Revolution, 1969-71; The Black Emergency Cultural Coalition, 1969-82; Top Value Television, 1972-79; Agnes Denes, 1931-95; fierce pussy, 1991-; Dyke Action Machine! 1991-2008; Hock E Aye Vi Edgar Heap of Birds, 1954-; Project Row Houses, 1994-; Prescription Addiction Intervention now, 2017 -.

I found challenges in working through the new insights and history unveiled in this work. However, for those wanting to know more about lesser-known artists and their contribution to the political environment this is a worthwhile challenge. Those less committed could be led through the notes and index to authoritative new information. For those wanting an accessible work on artists’ contribution to waging a war on injustices this could be a difficult read.

I thought this was a good, if not dense, history. But I don’t mind it and I love learning about art and protest and how intertwined they can be. Often knitted together in a way that can’t be untangled.

Thanks for the ARC.

VITAL book - so needed in these times! It healed something in me to see these images, to be reminded of our histories of protest and the power of art as protest...thank you for the ARC, NetGalley!

I really enjoyed this book, It was a little dense at points but it had such a wealth of information. Part of me wished there was a larger scope of time covered but the book was so filled with interesting and important information that I struggle to picture how more time could be covered without it becoming thousands of pages, pages which I personally would still want to read more of.

I'm not super sure how to rate this because I have some really mixed feelings about it. And they entirely based on personal preference, so that makes it all the more complicated for me.

I can get so into a non-fiction book, I love to learn things, especially if they align with a niche or special interest. I went to art school, so reading about art is very up my alley. But this wasn't necessarily a book for me.

This was full of so much information, but it was written like a textbook or a thesis essay. It was just so dense and difficult to understand even though I knew all of the references. I prefer non-fiction books to be written in an easier to digest kind of way. I don't like to feel like I am being talked down to when reading (especially when reading about something I already know a lot about). I prefer a more conversational non-fiction writing style, like Amanda Montell or John Green. But that is totally a personal preference thing.

I also wish that it covered more of history. People have been using art as a way to send a message since the dawn of time, but this pretty much just covered the timeline of the second half of the twentieth century (mid-1950's to mid-2010's). I wanted to see more of history, not just things people that are still alive can remember from not that long ago.

I did think it was really cool how pretty much all modern protest is based on the same statements, just reused to fit that current situation. To me, that says a lot about our world (country) and how we communicate, how specific words mean more to us than others.

I just wished this book was more in the style I like. I would've enjoyed it a lot more. But I can totally see this being used as a great and informative reference for someone's essay or project. Or if you just like reading more textbook-feeling non-fiction. It really is so full of information, photos, examples, and references (there's like 30 pages of reference in the back). And this is a very short book, page-wise.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher to giving me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I am into art and my background is social work so I was excited to read this. Unfortunately, the way this is written FELT like I was reading it for a college class and I was not a fan of that. It was quite research/citation heavy and more informative than a social commentary piece. It’s also very wordy but I can tell that the author did their research.

This book offers a wealth of well-researched insights into the interplay between art and political statements in the United States. It effectively portrays art collectives as powerful agents of change and resistance, many of which have seen success in their goals.

The collection of essays feels predominantly academic and almost exclusively historical. Given the title "The War of Art," I would have appreciated a more narrative-driven and action-oriented perspective to complement the rich historical context provided. While it delves deeply into the bravery and determination of the artists, I felt that the book itself lacked the boldness to mirror that same spirit.

Overall, it's a thorough account of the intersection of art, politics, and protest in the U.S. over recent decades, skillfully weaving together various issues and causes into a cohesive narrative.

What truly stands out in this exploration is the way activists across diverse social movements harness art to communicate their messages. One of the most rewarding aspects of reading this was understanding that the most effective tactics often resonate with those outside the activist circles. This realization shows that the spark for cultural revolution begins when people recognize that they have the tools to ignite change right in front of them, simply by expressing themselves openly and unapologetically.

This book contained a lot of well-researched subject matter on art and political statements in the United States. It described well the act of art collectives as agents of change and resistance, many of which had some success in their aims.

The collection of essays felt largely academic and almost purely historical. With a title like "The War of Art", I would have enjoyed a more narrative and action-oriented approach in addition to the rich historical context it provided. Although it wrote in depth about the daring and courage of the the artists, I felt the book itself lacked courage to attempt the same.

Very good and thorough account of art, politics and protest in the US over the past few decades. Skillfully binds together lots of different issues and causes in one book.

This was a wonderful exploration of the ways in which activists across social causes utilize art to spread their message. The best part of reading this was realizing that the tactics that prove to be most successful and responsive to people outside the activist circles are all things that we can contribute to. The zeitgeist of cultural revolution begins with people realizing they ave the tools to start movement right in front of them, just by expressing themselves openly and unapologetically.