Monumentalism is about the many and varied manifestations of history and national identity in contemporary art. In four essays, Jennifer Allen, Hendrik Folkerts, Joep Leerssen and the editors explore this international phenomenon and the backgrounds that give rise to it. Also featured are nineteen artists whose work has been shown in an exhibition of the same name in the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam. In the broad range of subjects they present, possible definitions of ‘national identity’ are met by fragmentation, multiformity, and a critical approach.

Monumentalism is about the many and varied manifestations of history and national identity in contemporary art. In four essays, Jennifer Allen, Hendrik Folkerts, Joep Leerssen and the editors explore this international phenomenon and the backgrounds that give rise to it. Also featured are nineteen artists whose work has been shown in an exhibition of the same name in the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam. In the broad range of subjects they present, possible definitions of ‘national identity’ are met by fragmentation, multiformity, and a critical approach. This book additionally contains a reprint of an essay by the eminent anthropologist/political scientist Benedict Anderson on the persistence of nationalism in culture.