City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works All Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects 2012 The Museum of Modern Art's "What Is Modern?" Series, 1938-1969 Jennifer Tobias The Graduate Center, City University of New York How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/1933 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] i THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART’S WHAT IS MODERN? SERIES, 1938–1969 BY JENNIFER TOBIAS A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty in Art History in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, The City University of New York 2012 ii © 2012 JENNIFER TOBIAS ALL RIGHTS RESERVED iii This manuscript has been read and accepted for the Graduate Faculty in Art History in satisfaction of the dissertation requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Dr. Rosemarie Haag Bletter [Bletter sig] Date Chair of Examining Committee Dr. Kevin Murphy [EO sig] Date Executive Officer Dr. Rose-Carol Long Dr. Claire Bishop Dr. Mary Anne Staniszewski Supervisory Committee THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK iv Abstract THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART’S WHAT IS MODERN? SERIES, 1938–1969 by Jennifer Tobias Adviser: Professor Rosemarie Haag Bletter Between 1938 and 1969, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) poses the question of What Is Modern? (WIM) in a series of books, traveling exhibitions, and a symposium. This dissertation argues for the WIM project as a sustained if minimally effective effort to influence popular American perceptions of modern art, architecture, and design, at the same time embodying tensions inherent to the museum and its notions of that modernism. MoMA is an unquestionable influence on modern art history. WIM is a significant component of this influence, yet scholarship on the series is minimal. Hiding in plain sight, the series offers signal insights into the Museum’s first century of answers to the question of What Is Modern? Each WIM holds a key to the development and dissemination of MoMA’s ideology. Two versions of What Is Modern Architecture? (WISMA, 1938, 1962) first advocate for and then wrestle with the legacy of International Style architecture. Next, Alfred H. Barr Jr.’s What Is Modern Painting? (WIMP, 1943) and precursors reflect development of the museum’s core ideals. At mid-century, Edward Steichen’s symposium and unrealized book What Is Modern Photography? (WIMPh, 1950, 1951) fail to critically address the medium upon which the series depends to make its case. At the same time, Edgar J. Kaufmann Jr.’s What Is Modern Design? (WIMD, 1950) and What Is Modern Interior Design? (WISMID, 1953) assert an alternative to the machine v aesthetic and International Style ideology. Finally, two versions of What Is Modern Sculpture? (WIMS, 1942, 1969) evince a formalism that, while innovative and provocative in MoMA’s early years, read as a conservative statement in the face of late- century art movements and post-colonial attitudes towards “primitivism.” The dissertation concludes with a review of media for which the museum chose other (or no) forms of popularization, followed by a review of key themes supporting the central argument. This investigation draws two interrelated conclusions. First, the WIM series represents a complex and contradictory internal discourse, both within and between departments, over the course of most of the twentieth century, that is subsumed into a confident public education campaign. Second, engagement with modern communications media is integral to the formulation, promulgation—and dissonance—of those notions. Disclosure Statement I have been an employee of MoMA since 1998 as a librarian. MoMA subsidized this degree through its tuition benefit. vi CONTENTS DISCLOSURE STATEMENT .......................................................................................... V ILLUSTRATIONS ........................................................................................................ VIII INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................ 1 Literature Review ........................................................................................................... 5 What Is Modern? Formats .............................................................................................. 7 Chapter Summaries ........................................................................................................ 7 Context ........................................................................................................................... 9 CHAPTER 1. WHAT IS MODERN ARCHITECTURE? (WISMA) CE AND BOOK, 1938– 1962 ..............................................................................................................................20 What Is Modern Architecture? (WISMA1) CE and Book, 1938–1945 .............................22 What Is Happening to Modern Architecture? Symposium (1948) and Unpublished WISMA Manuscript (1955) .............................................................................................48 What Is Modern Architecture? (WISMA2) CE, 1962–1975.............................................57 Conclusion: Transformations in Modern Architecture , 1979 ...........................................81 CHAPTER 2. WHAT IS MODERN PAINTING? (WIMP) BOOK AND CE, 1943–1988 ...87 Phase 1: Precursors, 1926–1934 ..................................................................................88 Phase 2: What Is Modern Painting? (WIMP) Book and CE Debut, 1943–1944 ............ 100 Phase 3: War’s End, 1946–1949 ................................................................................. 132 Phase 4: Consolidation, 1952–1957 ............................................................................ 135 Phase 5: Decline, 1966–1988 ...................................................................................... 141 Conclusion .................................................................................................................. 144 CHAPTER 3. WHAT IS MODERN PHOTOGRAPHY? (WIMPH) SYMPOSIUM AND UNPUBLISHED BOOK, 1950–1951 ............................................................................ 147 What Is Modern Photography? (WIMPh) Symposium, 1950 ........................................ 150 What Is Modern Photography? (WIMPh) Unpublished Book, 1951 .............................. 154 Conclusion .................................................................................................................. 165 CHAPTER 4. WHAT IS MODERN DESIGN? (WIMD) AND WHAT IS MODERN INTERIOR DESIGN? (WISMID) BOOKS, 1950–1953 ................................................. 168 What Is Modern Design? (WIMD) Book, 1950 ............................................................. 185 What Is Modern Interior Design? (WISMID) Book, 1953 .............................................. 197 Analysis ....................................................................................................................... 203 Conclusion .................................................................................................................. 221 CHAPTER 5. WHAT IS MODERN SCULPTURE? (WIMS), MULTIPLE FORMATS, 1940–1969 .................................................................................................................. 223 What Is Modern Sculpture? (WIMS) Unpublished Book, 1940 ..................................... 226 Introduction to Modern Sculpture CE, 1942–1947 ....................................................... 227 What Is Modern Sculpture? (WIMS) Slide Talk, 1944–1953 ........................................ 230 What Is Modern Sculpture? (WIMS) Unpublished Book, 1945 ..................................... 239 vii Modern Sculpture Teaching Portfolio, 1951 ................................................................. 248 What Is Modern Sculpture? (WIMS) Book, 1969 ......................................................... 252 Conclusion .................................................................................................................. 280 CHAPTER 6. WHAT WASN’T MODERN? ................................................................... 283 Film ............................................................................................................................. 283 Prints ........................................................................................................................... 284 What Is Modern Drawing? (WIMDr) Unpublished Book, 1944 ..................................... 285 CONCLUSION: WHAT WAS WHAT IS MODERN? ..................................................... 290 ILLUSTRATIONS ........................................................................................................ 299 SOURCES CONSULTED ............................................................................................ 318 viii ILLUSTRATIONS Figures 1. What Is Modern? chronology, 1925–1937. .............................................................. 299 2. What Is Modern? chronology, 1938–1942. .............................................................. 300 3. What Is Modern? chronology, 1943–1946. .............................................................. 301 4. What Is Modern? chronology, 1947–1952. .............................................................