Spanning the range of important twentieth century American artists the Thyssen Bornemisza Collection is unique in Europe. Although American contemporary artists beginning with the Abstract Expressionists and Pop Artists have been widely exhibited and collected in Europe, 20th century American painting before the Second World War was virtually unknown to Europeans until the last decade.In her introduction, Gail Levin has written a comprehensive overview of the history of twentieth century American painting. She examines the American fascination with both the European tradition and Avant-Garde, and the American artists search for a native style. She follows this essay with detailed analyses of the 127 paintings and drawings in the collection, all reproduced in colour and accompanied by comparative illustrations. Brief biographies of the artists follow the catalogue section,and the volume concludes with a general index.