The beginning of the 20th century brought with it a desire for freedom and for breaking away from the traditional schools of thought. In Italy this manifested itself in all artistic fields, especially in painting through the works of the first great names of the Italian avant-garde which included Modigliani, Boccioni and Balla. The 1920`s continued with a flow of artistic genius with works by de Chirico and Sironi, only to be halted by the growing Fascist regime, which imposed moderation yet also unbridled an undeniable artistic reaction. In the fifties Peggy Guggenheim arrives in Venice with her entourage of expressionist artists, with de Kooning, and Pollock`s action art, adding a new zest to the Italian artistic community. This is the era of Fontana, Capogrossi, Colla and Burri, who disturb the public with their "scandalous" and revolutionary work. The subsequent chapters offer an overview of the post 60`s movements leading up to the 80`s where the Italian art world seeks to discover a new meaning for the term "modern" bringing to light the now famous Francesco Clemente and Sandro Chia. The fall of the Berlin wall marks the beginning of a new era where the artists are influenced by and work with new mediums offered by modern technology. These include video, computers and sophisticated means of communication creating a very individualistic and constantly shifting artistic development. The catalog includes: full page color reproductions of the paintings, an in-depth description of each work of art and a biography of the artist. Suitable for 20th century art and/or Italian art admirers, students, collectors.