American Abstract Artists

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American Abstract Artists (AAA) was formed in 1936 in New York City, to promote and foster public understanding of abstract art. American Abstract Artists exhibitions, publications, and lectures helped to establish the organization as a major forum for the exchange and discussion of ideas, and for presenting abstract art to a broader public. The American Abstract Artists group contributed to the development and acceptance of abstract art in the United States and has a historic role in its avant-garde.[1] It is one of the few artists’ organizations to survive from the Great Depression and continue into the 21st century.

Current and previous members include Joseph Albers, Richard Anuskiewicz, Will Barnet, Ilya Bolotowsky, Burgoyne Diller, Werner Drewes, Cecily Kahn, Lee Krasner, Ibram Lassaw, Irene Rice Pereira, Ad Reinhardt, Dorothea Rockburne, Esphyr Slobodkina, David Smith, Robert Storr and Don Voisine.[2]

Contents

[edit] History

During the 1930’s abstract art was viewed with critical opposition and there was little support from art galleries and museums. The American Abstract Artists group was established in 1936 as a forum for discussion and debate of abstract art [3] and to provide exhibition opportunities when few other possibilities existed.[4] AAA held its first exhibition in 1937 at the Squibb Gallery in New York City. This was the most extensive and best attended exhibition of American abstract painting and sculpture outside of a museum during the 1930’s.[5] Future exhibitions and publications would establish AAA as a major forum for the discussion and presentation of new abstract and non-objective art.[6]

The most influential critics dismissed American abstract art as too European and therefore “un-American”. There was extensive hostile criticism of AAA exhibits in New York City newspapers and art magazines of the time.[7] American abstract art was struggling to win acceptance and AAA personified this. AAA combated prevailing hostile attitudes toward abstraction and prepared the way for its acceptance after World War II.[8] AAA was a precursor to abstract expressionism by helping abstract art discover its identity in the United States.[9]

During the early 1940’s the New York School gained momentum and throughout the mid 1940’s and 1950’s Abstract Expressionism dominated the American avant-garde. American Abstract Artists continued its mandate as an advocate for abstract art.[10]

American Abstract Artists is active today. To date the organization has produced over 75 exhibitions of its membership in museums and galleries across the United States. AAA has published 12 Journals, in addition to brochures, books, catalogs, and has hosted critical panels and symposia. AAA distributes its published materials internationally to cultural organizations.[11] American Abstract Artist produces print portfolios by its membership. AAA print portfolios are in the collections of the Whitney Museum of American Art, Museum of Modern Art, Tate in London,[12] and the Archives of American Art.[13]

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ Pioneers of Abstract Art: American Abstract Artists, 1936-1996, exhibition catalog. Sidney Mishkin Gallery, Baruch College, 1996. Text by Sandra Kraskin. p 5.
  2. ^ Artists by Movement: American Abstract Artists
  3. ^ Pioneers of Abstract Art: American Abstract Artists, 1936-1996, Sandra Kraskin. p 5.
  4. ^ Pioneers of Abstract Art: American Abstract Artists, 1936-1996, Sandra Kraskin. p 9.
  5. ^ Larsen, Susan C. “The American Abstract Artists: A Documentary History 1936-1941”, Archives of American Art Journal, Vol. 14, No. 1 (1974), p 3.
  6. ^ American Abstract Artists, The Language of Abstraction, exhibition catalog. Betty Parsons Gallery, Marilyn Pearl Gallery, 1979. Text by Susan Larson. p 2.
  7. ^ Pioneers of Abstract Art: American Abstract Artists, 1936-1996, Sandra Kraskin. p 5.
  8. ^ Pioneers of Abstract Art: American Abstract Artists, 1936-1996, Sandra Kraskin. p 5.
  9. ^ Larsen, Susan C. “The American Abstract Artists: A Documentary History 1936-1941”, p 7.
  10. ^ Pioneers of Abstract Art: American Abstract Artists, 1936-1996, Sandra Kraskin. p 25.
  11. ^ Continuum: In Celebration of the 70th Anniversary of AAA, exhibition press release. St. Peter's College Art Gallery, O'Toole Library, Jersey City, NJ (March 21 - April 25, 2007).
  12. ^ Pioneers of Abstract Art: American Abstract Artists, 1936-1996, Sandra Kraskin. p 25.
  13. ^ Larsen, Susan C. “The American Abstract Artists: A Documentary History 1936-1941”, p 3.

[edit] References

  • American Abstract Artists, The Language of Abstraction, exhibition catalog. Betty Parsons Gallery, Marilyn Pearl Gallery, 1979. Text by Susan Larson.
  • Arnason, H.H. History of Modern Art: Painting, Sculpture, Architecture, Photography. Prentice Hall, 5th Edition, 2003. ISBN-10: 013184105X. pp 406, 418.
  • Chilvers, Ian. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists. Oxford University Press, USA; 3rd Edition, August 14, 2003. ISBN-10: 0198604777. p 15.
  • Larsen, Susan C. “The American Abstract Artists: A Documentary History 1936-1941”, Archives of American Art Journal, Vol. 14, No. 1 (1974), p 2-7.
  • Morgan, Ann Lee. The Oxford Dictionary of American Art and Artists. Oxford University Press, USA, 2007. ISBN-13: 978-0195128789. p 12.
  • Pioneers of Abstract Art: American Abstract Artists, 1936-1996, exhibition catalog. Sidney Mishkin Gallery, Baruch College, 1996. Text by Sandra Kraskin.
  • Continuum: In Celebration of the 70th Anniversary of AAA, exhibition press release. St. Peter's College Art Gallery, O'Toole Library, Jersey City, NJ (March 21 - April 25, 2007).

[edit] External links