Pattern and Decoration

US arts movement that emerged in the 1970s. Rejecting the austerities of abstract and conceptual art, Pattern and Decoration artists created works that were richly decorated, often with motifs from folk and non-Western art. Leading Pattern and Decoration artists included Miriam Schapiro (1923– ) and Robert Kushner (1949– ).

Pattern and Decoration emerged in New York, though many of its leading figures were from California. The main inspiration of the movement was a determination to draw upon the crafts traditionally practised by women and by non-Western societies, in particular Islamic, Oriental, and American Indian cultures. Feminist artists played a leading role in Pattern and Decoration, with women artists wanting to create works outside the canon of Western art, which they saw as a product of white male artists.