• Schoelkopf Gallery is pleased to present Modernism Rising on view at the gallery from September 6 to October 5, 2024. In 1913, the Armory Show, which showcased the European avant-garde alongside their American counterparts in New York, marked an important episode in the development of modernism in the United States. While the landmark exhibition has often held the status of mythic origin point, in reality, American artists had begun to experiment with modernist principles since the 1870s. American modernism did not burst on the scene in 1913, but rather emerged slowly over time, gaining strong momentum in the first two decades of the twentieth century.
     
    Drawn from distinguished American private collections and foundations including the Estate of Tommy LiPuma, the Estate of Manierre Dawson, the John Marin Foundation, and the Max Weber Foundation, Modernism Rising presents 35 paintings and works on paper spanning 1900–20 by pioneering American modernists including Manierre Dawson,  Marsden Hartley, John Marin, Alfred Maurer, Hugo Robus, and Max Weber. As these artists experimented with movements such as Impressionism, Fauvism, and Cubism, they learned to develop their own unique approaches to materials and methods as they responded to contemporary events and experiences.
  • Marsden Hartley, Movement No. 11, c. 1916

    Marsden Hartley

    Movement No. 11, c. 1916
    Marsden Hartley painted Still Life circa 1916 during a brief but impactful episode of his career, in which he worked in a style informed by Synthetic Cubism using a restrained color palette of stark black and soft pink, white, and grey hues. The artist began experimenting with this new mode of expression in Provincetown, Massachusetts, in summer 1916, when he made a series of works on fiberboard, many of which he titled Movement.
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    • Alfred Maurer Abstraction, c. 1919
      Alfred Maurer
      Abstraction, c. 1919
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    • Alfred Maurer Abstraction, 1919, 1919
      Alfred Maurer
      Abstraction, 1919, 1919
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    • Alfred Maurer Abstraction: Fishing, c. 1919-20
      Alfred Maurer
      Abstraction: Fishing, c. 1919-20
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    • John Marin By the Sea, Small Point, Maine, 1917
      John Marin
      By the Sea, Small Point, Maine, 1917
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    • John Marin Echo Lake District, Pennsylvania, 1916
      John Marin
      Echo Lake District, Pennsylvania, 1916
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    • John Marin West Point, Maine, 1914
      John Marin
      West Point, Maine, 1914
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    • John Marin Untitled (Landscape), 1914
      John Marin
      Untitled (Landscape), 1914
    • John Marin Adirondacks II, 1913
      John Marin
      Adirondacks II, 1913
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  • Hugo Robus, The Winch, c. 1915-1917

    Hugo Robus

    The Winch, c. 1915-1917
    Oil on canvas
    28 x 34 inches
    71.1 x 86.4 cm
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    • John Marin Weehawken Sequence, c. 1916
      John Marin
      Weehawken Sequence, c. 1916
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    • John Marin Weehawken Sequence, by 1916
      John Marin
      Weehawken Sequence, by 1916
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    • Alfred Maurer Still Life, c. 1908-10
      Alfred Maurer
      Still Life, c. 1908-10
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    • Alfred Maurer Poule dans un nid (Chicken in a Nest), c. 1908-10
      Alfred Maurer
      Poule dans un nid (Chicken in a Nest), c. 1908-10
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    • Alfred Maurer The Iron Table, c. 1911
      Alfred Maurer
      The Iron Table, c. 1911
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    • Alfred Maurer Still Life with Zinnias, c. 1910
      Alfred Maurer
      Still Life with Zinnias, c. 1910
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  • Alfred Maurer, The Woman in White, c. 1900

    Alfred Maurer

    The Woman in White, c. 1900
    Alfred Maurer was one of the first American artists to embrace European modernist painting styles. He was influenced by his time in avant-garde circles in Paris in the early 20th century and explored various painting techniques throughout his career. His early work, including The Woman in White, reflects a figurative style inspired by artists like William Merritt Chase and James McNeill Whistler, emphasizing tonal harmony and mood over naturalism. During this period, Maurer focused on depicting women in domestic interiors, highlighting the sense of isolation within the confines of social class or a sheltered life.
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    • Alfred Maurer Landscape, c. 1907-10
      Alfred Maurer
      Landscape, c. 1907-10
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    • Alfred Maurer Landscape, c. 1907-10
      Alfred Maurer
      Landscape, c. 1907-10
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    • Alfred Maurer Landscape, c. 1908-09
      Alfred Maurer
      Landscape, c. 1908-09
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    • Alfred Maurer Landscape, c. 1907-1910
      Alfred Maurer
      Landscape, c. 1907-1910
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    • Alfred Maurer Trees, c. 1908-10
      Alfred Maurer
      Trees, c. 1908-10
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    • Alfred Maurer Village Scene, c. 1907-12
      Alfred Maurer
      Village Scene, c. 1907-12
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  • Alfred Maurer, Paysage avec maisons (Landscape with Houses), c. 1908

    Alfred Maurer

    Paysage avec maisons (Landscape with Houses), c. 1908

    Among the first Americans to espouse novel European modernist approaches to painting, Alfred Maurer was informed by his exposure to avant-garde circles of Paris at the turn of the 20th century. Maurer worked in diverse painting styles throughout his career, from figurative works in a Tonalist and Aesthetic style to experimentations with Fauvism and Cubism. Paysage avec maisons (Landscape with Houses) demonstrates a marked shift from the artist’s earlier muted Tonalist works to the high-key colors and simplified forms of Fauvism.

     

    The present painting was completed in France before Maurer’s return to New York in 1914 at the outbreak of World War I. The artist’s return commenced a charged period of artistic development in which he redefined his artistic identity and attempted to wrangle his French foundations with his desire to hone a uniquely American aesthetic.

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    • Manierre Dawson Array in Brown, 1913-14
      Manierre Dawson
      Array in Brown, 1913-14
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    • Manierre Dawson Ascension, 1913
      Manierre Dawson
      Ascension, 1913
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    • Manierre Dawson Prognostic (Right Panel of Triptych), 1910
      Manierre Dawson
      Prognostic (Right Panel of Triptych), 1910
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    • Max Weber Group of Nudes, c. 1910-11
      Max Weber
      Group of Nudes, c. 1910-11
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    • Max Weber Red Cross Nurse, 1919
      Max Weber
      Red Cross Nurse, 1919
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    • Max Weber The Apollo in Matisse's Studio, 1908
      Max Weber
      The Apollo in Matisse's Studio, 1908
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    • Max Weber The Card Players, 1917
      Max Weber
      The Card Players, 1917
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  • For additional information of any of the works presented, please contact the gallery at (212) 879 - 8815.