May 2024

Exhibitions As History - Parsons School of Design

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This paper investigates Alfred H. Barr's response to the political turmoil of 1939 through his show Picasso: Forty Years of His Art, focusing on the inclusion of works that explicitly addressed themes of war, racism, or resistance. ​​

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Introduction:

"Picasso: Forty Years of His Art," showcased in 1939, was an influential milestone in modern art history. The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) organized the exhibition, which was curated by Alfred H. Barr Jr., the museum's founding director at the time. It was the first major retrospective of Pablo Picasso's work in the United States. Picasso was already acknowledged as one of Europe's most significant artists of the twentieth century, but his work was virtually obscure in the United States. This exhibition attempted to show American audiences the range and depth of Picasso's artistic creativity.