Edith Halpert and the Rise of American Art

I just saw the Edith Halpert and the Rise of American Art exhibition at the Jewish Musuem in New York City. It was terrific.  I hadn't realized how influential Edith Halpert was.  She was the first gallerist to offer installment purchase plans for art.  She was successful doing this, even during the Depression.  She believed good art should be accessible to everyone, not just the wealthy.

She had unfailingly good taste that ranged from modern to folk art.   Throughout her career Halpert supported unknown artists and those whose names and works we now easily recognize, such as Georgia O'Keeffe. She also championed artists rejected by the establishment or vilified at the time, such as Yasuo Kuniyoshi who was interred during WWII for his Japanese heritage.  

Here are some photos of the art in  the exhibition.

Elie Nadelman, (1882-1946), Seated Woman, c. 191-1925
Cherrywood and iron
Nadelman was in one of Halpert's first exhibitions.  She drew
inspiration from American folk art.

Mabel Dwight (1876-1955), Life Class, 1931
Lithograph
Dwight, who was deaf, reflected everyday life with humor and
a keen eye.

Yasuo Kuniyoshi (1889-1953), The Swimmer, c. 1924
Oil on canvas
Kuniyoshi blended Cubist space and a style reminiscent of
folk art.  Interred during WWII for his heritage, Kuniyoshi
became the first living artist to have a retrospective at
the White Museum of American Art.

Stuart Davis (1892-1964), Tree and El, 1931
Oil on canvas
Davis called himself an "addict of the New England coast"
but spent much of his career creating art based on rural and
urban subjects.

Marguerite Zorach (1887-1968)
Memories of  a Summer in the White Mountains, 1917
Tapestry
Marguerite Zorach added textiles to her oeuvre when she
and her husband moved to Maine.  She was at the forefront
of modernism in America.

William Stieg (1907-2003), Proud Woman, 1941
Pearwood and rope
Already a famous cartoonist for The New Yorker,  Stieg
premiered his satirical sculptures at Halperts Downtown Gallery.