Alfred Cohen

This lavishly illustrated monograph reassesses the life and career of neglected American émigré painter Alfred Cohen (1920-2001), now the subject of a major London exhibition marking his centenary. In Chicago, Paris and London, Cohen’s work moved between the European figurative tradition and emerging American abstract expressionism, exploring motifs including the French coast, the River Thames and figures from the commedia dell’arte, concluding later, in Kent and Norfolk, with intensely coloured, richly textured landscapes ablaze with light and colour.

Co-edited by Max Saunders (Trustee, Alfred Cohen Art Foundation) and Sarah MacDougall (Head of Collections and Research, Ben Uri), this first full overview of Cohen’s career and achievements combines an extended biographical account with analytical and interpretative approaches to his work, locating him among his historical and contemporary peers. Contributors include art historians and curators: Paul Greenhalgh (Director, Sainsbury Centre), David Peters Corbett (Courtauld Institute of Art), Rachel Dickson (Ben Uri), Claudia Milburn (Pallant House), Hope Wolf (independent curator), and critics and writers: Tom Overton (John Berger s editor and biographer), Devorah Baum, Jacky Klein and Philip Vann. The volume also includes evocative biographical photos and a timeline of major exhibitions.

Cohen’s work is included in public collections including the Arts Council, Ben Uri Collection, the British Council, the Fitzwilliam Museum, the Jerwood Collection, Pallant House Gallery, the Castle Museum in Norwich, and the Sainsbury Centre for the Visual Arts at the University of East Anglia.