In 1945, suddenly 12 American artists enter the world scenery of painting. They will dominate the art world until 1980. American art becomes abstract and monumental. It is mainly a reaction against totalitarianism, the horrors of the 2^nd world war and the holocaust. Artists such as Pollock and Rothko inspire themselves in American landscapes of the Mid-West and in ethnical American-Indian art. Yet they also are influenced by European surrealism. Indeed, many surrealists live in NY from 1939 till 1945, where they continue the movement, focussing on the sub-conscience and its expression in art. Finally, excellent museums such as the MOMA and the Guggenheim Foundation show the best collections of European avant-garde art, which were non-existent in European museums. American artists show great dynamism, vitality and spontaneity. Behind the scenery, the CIA plays a capital role in promoting Abstract Expressionism as a counter weight and expression of individual freedom against the political art of the USSR. As of 1960, Pop-art will be a very accessible art, replacing Abstract Expressionism.

A story of how N.Y. became the new world capital of art in 1945 instead of Paris.