The War of Art: A History of Artists' Protest in America

A history of artist-led activism and the political and aesthetic debates around it, from the 1960s to the present, which argues that art history is also political history.

Lauren O'Neill-Butler tells the story through studies of key individuals and artist groups and their campaigns for solidarity, housing, and LGBTQ+ and HIV/AIDS awareness. The book rests on in-depth oral histories and is illustrated throughout. Its title plays on Sun Tzu's The Art of War. Verso published the hardback in June 2025, 240 pages, and a paperback followed in June 2026.

O'Neill-Butler is a New York writer and editor, a former senior editor of Artforum and a co-founder of the nonprofit magazine November. She edits the New York art guide Vide and teaches part time at Hunter College and The New School. Her first book was Let's Have a Talk: Conversations with Women on Art and Culture (Karma, 2021).