American Modernisms

For many art lovers, the idea of “modern art” carries a certain sense of gravity, evoking the series of avant gardes—mostly “-isms”—that succeeded one another from the late nineteenth century to the late twentieth, challenging both the conventions of previous art movements and those of the societies around them. This exhibition explores the multivalent meanings of the term American modernism in the context of the collection of the Rollins Museum of Art. From the intensely observed realism of the Ashcan School to the freewheeling exploration of the 1970s, American artists have used the tools and techniques of modernist art to inspect, reflect upon, interrogate, and change the world around them. Rather than telling one story of American modernism, the collection reveals many such narratives, many of which often overlap and even contradict one another. Importantly, these stories reveal that American art in the twentieth century was far from monolithic, reflecting the complexities of American art and life during the time of modernism. By paying particular attention to the ways in which American modernism both impacted and was impacted by the broader social life of the twentieth century, American Modernisms at the Rollins Museum of Art seeks to present the collection in a new light, forging new connections, highlighting lesser-known artists, and ultimately enriching our understanding of American modernism as it is broadly considered.