In the years after World War I, Paris once again became a crossroads for artists from around the world. Many sought new forms of classicism, looking for ways to connect the shaky present to solid foundations of the past. Fernand Léger turned to the sleek mechanical parts and mass-produced objects of modern industry for inspiration, believing that art and machines together could remake the world. “The object is everywhere in contemporary life,” he declared in 1925, reflecting his fascination with machine-made things. Pablo Picasso, conversely, proposed a different type of modern classicism grounded in his own prewar Cubism. Still others, like designer Eileen Gray, created works that embody the rich crossover between “style moderne” (the predominant decorative style of the 1920s and 1930s), austere geometric modularity, and luxury craft.
Collection 1880s–1940s
514
Paris 1920s
514
Paris 1920s
Fall 2019–Summer 2021
MoMA
- MoMA, Floor 5, 514 The David Geffen Wing
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Tarsila do Amaral The Moon 1928 -
Constantin Brâncuși Blond Negress II Paris 1933 (after a marble of 1928) -
Stuart Davis Salt Shaker 1931 -
Eileen Gray Screen 1922 -
Florence Henri Composition No. 76 1928 -
Germaine Krull Rails c. 1927 -
Fernand Léger Costume design for the ballet Skating Rink 1922 -
Fernand Léger Three Women 1921-22 -
Fernand Léger A Skater. Costume design for the ballet Skating Rink 1924 -
Fernand Léger Compass and Paint Tubes 1926 -
Man Ray (Emmanuel Radnitzky) Chess Set 1920–1926 -
Gerald Murphy Wasp and Pear 1929 -
Pablo Picasso Two Figures, Seated c. 1920 -
Pablo Picasso Three Musicians Fontainebleau, summer 1921 -
Pablo Picasso The Studio Paris, winter 1927-28
Artists
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Germaine Krull
Dutch, born Germany. 1897–19858 exhibitions, 13 works online -
Fernand Léger
French, 1881–1955146 exhibitions, 212 works online -
Tarsila do Amaral
Brazilian, 1886–19733 exhibitions, 2 works online -
Pablo Picasso
Spanish, 1881–1973324 exhibitions, 1,246 works online -
Man Ray (Emmanuel Radnitzky)
American, 1890–1976125 exhibitions, 194 works online - There are 10 artists in this collection gallery online.
Installation images
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