Philip Guston et l'Antifascisme

Philip Guston’s political commitment has long been overshadowed in interpretations of his work. From his role in the New York School right through to his shift towards figurative art in the 1970s, his works have been interpreted as an exploration of style, leading him from Abstract Expressionism towards motifs borrowed from comic books, in an ironic and caricatural style. But the political dimension is a defining factor. In his early days, Guston had embraced the anti-racist and anti-fascist cause in the wake of the Mexican muralists. His memories of the 1930s resurfaced when, around 1968, he was moved by the repression against the civil rights movement and the demonstrations on the fringes of the Democratic Party convention in Chicago. The motifs used in the 1970s are, in fact, echoes of the 1930s. This is where the roots of his ironic and incisive spirit lie – a spirit that speaks to us so powerfully today, as America plunges once more into the throes of state racism.

Christian Joschke is a French art historian, specialising in the history of photography, visual cultures and the relationship between art and politics. He is a professor of art history at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and has previously taught at several French and Swiss universities He is co-founder and co-editor of the journal *Transbordeur*, dedicated to the history of photography. He has translated works by German art theorists such as Hans Belting into French.