Iconoclasm

Attacks on images are back in the news as extremist groups, political movements, and armed forces target artworks and symbols around the world. David Freedberg, who helped establish the study of early modern and contemporary iconoclasm, has worked on the subject for five decades. His research has placed the destruction of images at the center of art history and at the heart of how all pictures function in society.

This compact collection gathers Freedberg's most important writings on image destruction and censorship. Five earlier works return to print alongside new assessments of present-day iconoclasm, from the Near and Middle East to the United States, along with a fresh overview of the entire field.

The essays trace the forces and histories behind iconoclasm, from the bitter conflicts over images during the Reformation to government repression in modern South Africa, the American culture wars of the early 1990s, and contemporary cancel culture. Freedberg brings original thinking together with deep expertise to explain why the topic matters now, along with the ideologies behind it and its effects.

The volume also includes a supplement to Freedberg's essay on idolatry and iconoclasm from his book The Power of Images. It is intended for historians, museum professionals, specialists in international law, preservationists, and students.