Modernist Painting Comes to America: Alfred Stieglitz and His Circle

About the Workshop

In the early 20th century, before the establishment of the Barnes Foundation and the Museum of Modern Art in the 1920s, modernist painting and sculpture were largely unknown on this side of the Atlantic. American taste tended toward the conservative, but a handful of individuals sought to nurture innovation. One such figure was photographer Alfred Stieglitz (1864–1946), who mentored young artists and introduced them to work by European modernists such as Picasso, Matisse, and Brancusi. Stieglitz’s 291 Gallery, founded in New York in 1905, became a gathering place for Georgia O’Keeffe, Arthur Bowen Davies, Marsden Hartley, Arthur Dove, and other artists interested in pushing American painting beyond realistic depictions of the natural world. This workshop investigates the impact of Stieglitz's circle on American painting, and how his advocacy of modernism created long-lasting ripples, affecting artists for years to come.

The class is online-only. More about online classes.

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Barnes classes will:

• Sharpen your observational and critical thinking skills.
• Improve your ability to communicate about art.
• Deepen your appreciation for cultures and histories outside your own.

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