This groundbreaking exhibition was key to establishing the pedigree for modern art proposed by Museum of Modern Art Founding Director Alfred H. Barr, Jr.—a narrative that continues to shape the Museum’s presentation of modernism to this day. In the introduction to the catalogue, Barr declared that the day’s most adventurous artists “had grown bored with painting facts. By a common and powerful impulse they were driven to abandon the imitation of natural appearance.” To demonstrate the breadth of this modernist impulse toward abstraction, Barr assembled a wide-ranging exhibition of nearly 400 works of painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, architecture, furniture, theater design, and typography. He also drew up a now-famous diagram of the origins and influences of modern art that was reproduced on the catalogue’s dust jacket.
Cubism and Abstract Art
Mar 2–Apr 19, 1936
MoMA
Publications
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Cubism and abstract art Out of print, 258 pages
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Master checklist 31 pages
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Press release 5 pages
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Press release 2 pages
Artists
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André Masson
French, 1896–198795 exhibitions, 108 works online -
Aleksandr Rodchenko
Russian, 1891–195663 exhibitions, 247 works online -
Aleksei Gan
Russian, 1889–19426 exhibitions, 21 works online -
Henri Matisse
French, 1869–1954248 exhibitions, 427 works online -
Julio González
Spanish, 1876–194236 exhibitions, 28 works online - There are 113 artists in this exhibition online.
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In 2018–19, MoMA collaborated with Google Arts & Culture Lab on a project using machine learning to identify artworks in installation photos. That project has concluded, and works are now being identified by MoMA staff.
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