The invention of collage in 1912 by Braque and Pablo Picasso marked the beginning of a radical shift in the history of Western art. By pasting fragments of paper, including newspaper and wallpaper, onto their compositions, they introduced real materials and textures into art and negated the idea that art must be representational. The collaged paper fractures the composition into geometric planes and draws attention to the flatness of the picture’s surface.
Gallery label from Geo/Metric: Prints and Drawings from the Collection, June 11–August 18, 2008.