Princeton University Art Museum presents 1913: The Year of Modernism an exhibition on view March 23, 2013 – June 23, 2013.
Amedeo Modigliani, Italian, 1884–1920: Jean Cocteau, 1916–17. Oil on canvas, 100.4 x 81.3 cm. The Henry and RosePearlman Collection on long-term loan to the Princeton University Art Museum. Photo: Bruce M. White.
One hundred years ago, modernism exploded onto the cultural stage when a series of seminal works and exhibitions establishing a new aesthetic found their way to a wider public. From the Armory show in New York to the birth of modernist groups in Florence, Dresden, Munich, and Saint Petersburg, bold experiments with abstract forms in literature and the visual arts, daring combinations of traditional or invented genres, and innovative designs for published media like books and magazines all tried to capture the rhythm and reality of modern life. One year later, war of an unprecedented brutality would engulf the world, and the exhilaration and dynamism that had evolved in the twilight of the Belle Époque would give way to a climate of pessimism and irrationality. 1913: The Year of Modernism celebrates the centennial of this pivotal year and highlights key aspects of modernist movements—from Expressionism to Futurism, from visual poetry to Dadaist provocations. http://artmuseum.princeton.edu