Modern Art, Abstract Art and Contemporary Art

 In 1936 the Museum of Modern Art presented an exhibition entitled Cubism and Abstract Art. In the preface to the catalogue, Alfred H. Barr, Jr. states that the exhibition is restricted to European examples of Cubism and abstraction, since a year previously the Whitney Museum had shown a large collection of abstract art in America.

With the production of abstract painting and sculpture it seemed appropriate to review the movement in both a historical and contemporary sense. The modern art on this site covers a period of approximately thirty-seven years, from about the time of the famous Armory Show of 1913 to 1950.

The origins of 20th century abstract art are in Europe, but certain Americans reacted almost immediately to the first stirrings of the movement; consequently the period covered here coincides fairly well with the history of abstract art abroad.

"Painting is nothing but an image of incorporeal things, despite the fact that it exhibits bodies, for it represents only the arrangements, proportions, and forms of things, and is more intent on the idea of beauty than on any other." - Nicolas Poussin

• Abstract art
  
  American Abstract art
• Architectural and Mechanical Art
  
  Architectural and Mechanical Modern Art paintings
• Cubism and Futurism Art
  
  CUBISM AND FUTURISM - Cubism and Futurism, both of which had a great influence in the United States derives from the researches of Cezanne and Seurat.
• Expressionist Biomorphic Art
  
  Expressionist Biomorphic modern art images and descriptions
• Expressionist Geometric Art
  
  Expressionist Geometric Art information and paintings
• Midcentury Modern Art Books
  
  List of Midcentury Modern art books
• Midcentury Modern Painters
  
  List of Midcentury Modern Painters
• Naturalistic Geometric Art
  
  Naturalistic Geometric Modern art pages
• Pure Geometric Art
  
  Pure Geometric Art