Iconoclasm, Identity Politics and the Erasure of History

”[Iconoclasm’s] strengths lie in Mr Adams’s characteristic command of illuminating information, presented in abundant but clear factual detail… [It] includes a condensation of reasons why we should oppose iconoclasm and suggestions of what to do about it: good advice, which I hope will be followed.” – Eric Coombes * The Jackdaw *”[Adams] masterfully recounts the history of defacement, iconoclasm in art, and the meaning pf the events of 2020… Overall, Iconoclasm, Identity Politics and the Erasure of History is a timely and beautiful document defending the importance of history and art.” – Dinah Kolka * The Salisbury Review *”[Adams’] two books [with Imprint Academic] are courageous marks in the debate which too many try to silence…” – David Platzer * The British Art Journal *”[This] powerful new book chronicles 2020’s artifact attrition, examining the iconoclastic phenomenon from an impressive array of artistic, historical, political, and psychological perspectives.” – Derek Turner * Chronicles Magazine *

Alexander Adams is a British artist and writer. He studied fine art and history of art at Goldsmiths College, London. His art has been exhibited worldwide and is in the collections of the Victoria & Albert Museum (London), National Museum (Cardiff), Walker Art Gallery (Liverpool) and other museums. His art criticism has been published in The Burlington Magazine, The Art Newspaper, Sculpture Journal, The Jackdaw, The British Art Journal, Apollo, Printmaking Today, Print Quarterly and other outlets. His poetry has been published in anthologies, broadsides and single-author volumes in the UK and USA. He was artist-in-residence at the Albers Foundation, Connecticut, in 2011. Alexander Adams is the recipient of the 2018 Artist Scholarship from the Francis Bacon MB Art Foundation, Monaco. He lives in England.

Dr. Frank Furedi is an emeritus professor of sociology at the University of Kent in Canterbury and Senior Research Fellow at the Twenty-First Century Institute in Budapest, Visiting Professor, UCL Institute For Risk And Disaster Reduction. His latest book is Why Borders Matter: Why Humanity Must Relearn The Art of Drawing Lines.