This was a controversial exhibition put on by the Museum of Modern Art in New York, in that it showcased so called "Primitive" art against so called "Modern" art showing the influence one had on the other. It's ironic that some refer to African art as primitive, when it so obviously influenced many "modern" artists.
In 1906 tribal sculpture was first discovered by 20th century artists; these objects had suddenly become relevant because of changes in the nature of modern art itself. These two volumes comprise the first comprehensive scholarly treatment in half a century of the crucial influence of the tribal arts--particularly those of Africa and Oceania--on modern painters and sculptors. In this visually stunning and intellectually provocative work, 19 essays confront complex aesthetic, art-historical, and sociological problems posed by this dramatic chapter in the history of modern art. The main body of the book contains a series of essays on primitivism in the works of Gauguin, the Fauves, Picasso, Brancusi, the German Expressionists, Lipchitz, Modigliani, Klee, Giacometti, Moore, the Surrealists, and the Abstract Expressionists. It concludes with a discussion of primitivist contemporary artists, including those involved in earthworks, shamanism, and ritual-inspired performances.
by Paul Gauguin (Author), Ezio Bassani (Author), Christian Feest (Author), Sidney Geist (Author), Donald Gordon (Author), Jean Laude (Author), Gail Levin (Author), Jean-Louis Paudrat (Author), Philippe Peltier (Author), Laura Rosenstock (Author), Alan Wilkinson (Author), Evan Maurer (Author), Richard Oldenburg (Author), Jack Flam (Author), Rosalind Krauss (Author), Constantin Brancusi (Author), Jacques Lipchitz (Author), Amadeo Modigliani (Author), Henri Moore (Author), Alberto Giacometti (Author), Paul Klee (Author), Pablo Picasso (Author), Richard E. Oldenburg (Author), William Rubin (Editor), Kirk Varnedoe (Contributor).
