Featuring a curated selection of paintings, drawings and sculptures from renowned to rediscovered artists, Modernism Adored: 20th Century Art, an online exhibition presented by Helicline Fine Art, showcases art from essential movements that shaped the artistic landscape during the 20th century. On display will be works representative of the Ashcan School, cubism, art deco, vorticism, WPA-era, abstraction, abstract expressionism, caricature and outsider art.
The exhibition brings together a diverse range of artwork that reflects the spirit of innovation and creativity that defined these pivotal periods in art history.
Harold Haydon (1909-1994), History of the US Postal Service, ca. 1938. Oil on canvas, 21 x 25 in.
“As we are a NYC based gallery, the history of New York inspires us to include art that glorifies our great city,” say Helicline proprietors Keith Sherman and Roy Goldberg. “We are thrilled to present Modernism Adored. This is stuff in our hearts and we are honored to share it with collectors and curators throughout America and worldwide. This exhibition is our ‘eye,’ it exemplifies the enduring impact of modernism in art and provides a unique opportunity to witness the evolution of artistic expression over the course of the 20th century.”
Carlos Lopez (1910-1953), WPA Mural Study for Michigan Post Office, ca. 1940. Oil on board, 19½ x 22½ in., signed and inscribed lower left: ‘Portrait for mural at Paw Paw Mich. Post Office’.
Featuring roughly 40 artists, highlights of the exhibit by American artists include three early Stuart Davis (1892-1964) drawings, several works by caricaturist Al Hirschfeld, abstracts by Florence Henri and O. Louis Guglielmi, a Charles Demuth drawing of bathers, an early Daniel Celentano oil, and a precisionist industrial scene by Simon Wachtel, and much more. Among the Canadian and European works of note include Vorticist linocuts by Sybil Andrews and Lill Tschudi, and Maurice Guiraud-Riviere’s exquisite silvered bronze La Comete.
Among the other artists in the exhibition are Jo Cain, George Pearse Ennis, William Gropper, Mervyn Jules, Max Kalish, Henry Koerner, Leon Kroll, Antonio Petruccelli, Purvis Young and many more.
Jo Cain (1904-2003), We Are All Members of the Human Race: UN Poster Proposal, ca. 1945. Tempera on board, 21 x 16 in., estate stamp on reverse.
Sherman says his gallery takes a broader view of “modernism,” defining the movement as “a break with the past and the concurrent search for new forms of expression. It is in fact, constant reinvention, and it’s significant because it fundamentally asks us to change our perspectives as time passes.”
He points to Harold Haydon’s History of the US Postal Service as an example of the continued relevance of art from the first half of the 20th century. The circa 1938 oil depicts a delivery person among all the different modes of transport—foot, horse, carriage, car, plane and both a steam-powered and high speed train, a nod to the past and acknowledgement of the rapidly evolving modern world.
Longtime appreciators of WPA-era murals, Modernism Adored also includes an oil of two spirited musicians by Cuban/American painter Carlos Lopez (1910-1953) created as a study for a section of a larger mural at the post office in Paw Paw, Michigan. The piece, featuring an entertainment scene is painted in the recognizable style of its time, but subject remains relatable today.
Simon Wachtel (1900-1965), Factory Yards N. 3, ca. 1930s. Oil on canvas, 36 x 24 in., signed lower right.
Perhaps no piece in the exhibit illustrates how fundamental truths withstand the passage of time as Jo Cain’s proposal for a 1945 United Nations poster that reads: “We are all members of the human race. Chaos and destruction or unity and peace?”
Another favorite of Sherman’s in the show is an abstract by Simon Wachtel (1900-1965). “He’s practically invisible in the cannon of American fine art,” says the gallerist. “But [gazing] upon this painting…my jaw dropped when I first saw Factory Yards. The scope of it, the shapes, forms, colors, the energy erupts from the canvas. It’s a thrilling painting.”
Vaclav Vytlacil (1893-1984), Abstract Composition No. 2, 1936. Casein on cardboard construction, 11 x 135⁄8 in., signed and dated upper right.
Modernism Adored also features works by Vaclav Vytlacil (1892-1984), a significant and well-known artist of the period; and Daniel Celentano who, at 11 years old, was the first and youngest student of Thomas Hart Benton.
Daniel Ralph Celentano (1902-1980), Long Beach, ca. 1930s. Oil on artist board, 8 x 10 in., signed lower left; titled in pencil on reverse.
Helicline Fine Art has specialized in works from this era, in part due to the relative obscurity of many of the artists working at the time. “Modernist collectors and curators know these artists generally, but there isn’t a week that goes by where I discover the work of painters and sculptors whose work has been lost to time,” says Sherman. “I cherish the process of discovery, and love to share that with our clients and colleagues. It’s important to live in the moment, but we also need to know where we’ve come from. Art leads us forward.”
Powered by Froala Editor
