MODERN MATTERS-The Series Exploring Early Modernism in American Art at the Terra Museum

The Terra Museum of American Art introduces MODERN MATTERS, a sixteen-month series of exhibitions that presents fresh perspectives on early modernism in American art. MODERN MATTERS focuses on the vexing issue of categorizing modernism in American art from the turn of the nineteenth century to World War II.

For Immediate Release

MODERN MATTERS
THE SERIES EXPLORING EARLY MODERNISM IN AMERICAN ART AT THE TERRA MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART

Chicago, IL (PRWEB) July, 2003 - The Terra Museum of American Art introduces MODERN MATTERS, a sixteen-month series of exhibitions that presents fresh perspectives on early modernism in American art. MODERN MATTERS focuses on the vexing issue of categorizing modernism in American art from the turn of the nineteenth century to World War II.

In our mission to invigorate the interpretation and exhibition of American art, I am very proud to present this exceptional series of exhibitions at the Terra Museum," stated Elizabeth Glassman, Director, Terra Museum of American Art. MODERN MATTERS compares the debates that arose at three critical times and places of artistic ferment-New York during World War I, Paris in the years between the wars, and Chicago from the 1860s through the 1940s."

United as rebels against conventional Victorian society, the artists examined in the MODERN MATTERS series vigorously debated each other, the critics, the patrons and a baffled popular audience," stated Elizabeth Kennedy, Curator, Terra Museum of American Art. Up for discussion was what it meant to create modern art, defining arts purpose, and, not least of all, how art should be crafted. During this era of artistic ferment, the site of these arguments was extraordinarily important."

In addition, three of the exhibitions explore an individual artists studies in modernity. Helen Torrs art is an introduction to women artists, who experimented with modernist concerns. The late paintings by George Bellows, associated with the gritty realism of the Ashcan school, are provocative for his explorations of modern theories in compositional construction and color in the idyllic setting of Woodstock, New York.

As a fledging artist, Man Rays retreat to the artists colony in Ridgefield, New Jersey encouraged him to think outside conventional artistic practices aligning him with Marcel Duchamps New York Dada activities after 1915.

MODERN MATTERS series of exhibitions timeline spans summer 2003 through fall 2004:

Out of the Shadows: Helen Torr, A Retrospective
June 27 through August 17, 2003

Intimate scale, a distinctive sense of color, and a tendency toward flat, rhythmic design distinguish works of art from the 1920s and 1930s by Helen Torr (1886 -- 1967), wife of celebrated American modernist Arthur Dove. Torr was on the fringe of Alfred Stieglitzs circle of avant-garde American artists, and this exhibition of 60 paintings and works on paper-the first major museum presentation of Torrs work-validates her own creative impulse and ambivalent desire for recognition.

Debating American Modernism: Stieglitz, Duchamp and the New York Avant Garde
August 30 through November 30, 2003

In the early years of the twentieth century, photographer Alfred Stieglitzs 291" art gallery was the center of modernist notions in America. The arrival of avant-garde French artist Marcel Duchamp to the city in 1915, however, challenged American artists ideas on and interpretation of modern arts content and style. This exhibition of 70 paintings, sculptures, photographs, readymades" and works on paper proposes a new reading of this seminal time in early American modernism and focuses on the artistic debate that framed the production, reception and critique of art in New York in the 1910s and 1920s.

Leaving for the Country: George Bellows at Woodstock
October 4, 2003 through January 11, 2004

Though his early work of urban subjects won accolades for its dynamic realism, George Bellows (1882 -- 1925) continued to experiment with modern art theories. From 1920 to 1924, Bellows found the convivial summer retreat in Woodstock, New York a productive site to explore the relationship of color and composition that made his late work innovative. Along with 45 paintings and drawings by Bellows, 20 works of art by fellow Woodstock artists place into context Bellows late master works and suggest the rich artistic exchange within this rural colony.

Conversion to Modernism: The Early Works of Man Ray
January 24 through April 4, 2004

In 1920 Man Ray (1890-1976) joined French avant-garde artist Marcel Duchamp to found the Société Anonyme, Americas first museum devoted to promoting modern art. Usually linked with the radical ideas of Dada in his sculpture and photography, Man Ray began his career as a painter loosely associated with the modern American artists of Alfred Stieglitzs 291" gallery. This exhibition of 85 paintings and works on paper concentrates on Man Rays experimental approach during the formative years between 1907 and 1917.

A Transatlantic Avant-Garde: American Artists in Paris, 1918-1939
April 17 through June 27, 2004

Between the World Wars, American artists traveled to Paris as an artistic adventure rather than for academic training. Entering into a transatlantic dialogue with the Parisian avant-garde, these artists sought to express their own ideas of modernity. By pairing American with European artists, this exhibition of approximately 100 paintings, sculpture and works on paper focuses on three successive aspects of the Parisian avant-garde: Cubism, Geometric abstraction, and Surrealism. A fourth section exhibits portraits of the avant-garde community of French and American artists.

Chicago Modern, 1893-1945: Pursuit of the New
July 16 through October 31, 2004

Modern art arrived in Chicago when Impressionism debuted at the Worlds Columbian Exposition of 1893, and it continued to be a controversial addition to the academic program at The School of The Art Institute. Just as debates occurred in New York and Paris, Chicagos painters experimented with and reinterpreted the latest movements in art from regionalism, social realism, and Surrealism in the 1920s, 30s, and 40s. This exhibition of approximately 80 paintings from public and private collections is the first survey of early American modernism by Chicago artists at a major art museum.

Recent scholarship on early American modernism distinguishes these ground-breaking exhibitions presented by the Terra Museum of American Art. By encouraging a meaningful dialogue, MODERN MATTERS will make a contribution to defining what was modern in American art within the context of contemporary life in the first half of the twentieth century.

The Terra Museum of American Art is dedicated to the understanding and appreciation of the cultural contributions of American artists. Its collection includes notable works by Mary Cassatt, Winslow Homer, Edward Hopper, Georgia OKeeffe, Maurice Prendergast, John Singer Sargent, James McNeill Whistler, and many others. Each year the Terra Museum of American Art hosts a variety of exhibitions that explore the history, culture, and heritage of American art.

The Terra Museum of American Art is located at 664 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60611. Admission is always free. A suggested donation of $5 is welcome and enables the Terra Museum of American Art to continue its active programming. Museum hours are Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sunday 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit www.terramuseum.org or call (312) 664-3939.

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