Art from Contemporary Conflict

The Imperial War Museums (IWM) are widely recognized for its incomparable collection of twentieth-century British art, which is built around the extensive programs of war art that were created with government support during the First and Second World Wars. In the decades since, images from these artworks have become icons of British history and of the experience of war.

What is less well known is that IWM has similarly striking holdings in contemporary art—and that those artworks reflect experiences of and responses to a wide range of recent and ongoing conflicts. Showcasing artwork created in response to fighting in Northern Ireland, the Falklands, Bosnia, Iraq, Afghanistan, and more, and featuring work by such prominent contemporary artists as Steve McQueen, Roderick Buchanan, and Langlands & Bell, this book reminds us that war continues to spur artists to creative reflection today.