Modernism: Designing a new world

Modernism: Designing a New World 1914-1939 is the largest and most comprehensive exhibition on the subject ever staged in America, and the Corcoran Gallery of Art will be the only American venue. The exhibition explores the foundation and meaning of Modernism, and it contains some of the most seminal works of modern art, graphic and product design, and architecture produced in the first half of the 20th century. It traces the historic development of modern form through social, industrial, and political upheavals of the 1920s and 1930s. It investigates the role of the factory and mass production; the spiritual aspect of modern life; the period’s fascination with the healthy body and organic forms found in nature; and national identity.

With works from 17 countries, this is an exhaustive survey of important objects and images from many media and industries involved in shaping the twentieth century. Such a wide array demonstrates how Modernist philosophy affected nearly every area of life then, and how it continues to permeate our world today. Influences appear in designs of housing, furniture, domestic and manufacturing goods, theater and cinema, automobiles and military engineering, and even clothing and health care. The key Modern movements – such as the Bauhaus, the seminal German art school, Suprematism in Russia, the DeStijl Group in the Netherlands, and Purism in France – are explored in detail. The exhibition also reveals the spread of Modernism from its notable origins in Europe, to influential regions such as the United States, South Africa and South America.

There are over 350 objects and more than 50 film clips in “Modernism.” Among the key Modernist figures featured are artists Piet Mondrian, Fernand Léger, Paul Klee, Pablo Picasso, Kasimir Malevich, Man Ray, Wassily Kandinsky and Lazlo Moholy-Nagy; architects Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier, Frank Lloyd Wright and Walter Gropius; and designers Marcel Breuer, Gerrit Rietveld, Marianne Brandt and Alvar Aalto.

Modernism: Designing a New World 1914-1939 is organized by the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. The Corcoran's presentation is made possible through the generous support of the Dedalus Foundation, Inc. and The Solow Art and Architecture Foundation. This exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.

Modernism
Designing a New World 1914-1939

mit Piet Mondrian, Fernand Léger, Paul Klee, Pablo Picasso, Kasimir Malewitsch, Man Ray, Wassily Kandinsky, László Moholy-Nagy, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier, Frank Lloyd Wright, Walter Gropius, Marcel Breuer, Gerrit Rietveld, Marianne Brandt, Alvar Aalto ...

Stationen:
06.04.06 - 23.07.06 Victoria and Albert Museum, London
16.09.06 - 07.01.06 MARTa Herford
17.03.07 - 29.07.07 Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington