Lill Tschudi, "Rhumba Band II,” April 1936, color linocut. Johanna and Leslie Garfield Collection. Courtesy Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
:The Wolfsonian-Florida International University will present "Rhythms of Modern Life: British Prints 1914–1939" from November 20 through February 28.
This extraordinary exhibition focuses on the dynamic synergy of modern man and machine as seen in the artistic movements of early Twentieth Century England. It highlights the impact of Italian Futurism and French Cubism on British Modernist printmaking from the beginning of the First World War to the outbreak of the Second World War.
Through a thematic examination of the works of 14 innovative artists, more than 90 boldly graphic prints are showcased. Approximately 70 of these works are drawn from the Johanna and Leslie Garfield Collection — an assemblage of modern British prints from the heroic days of early Modernism to its later 1920s and 30s adaptation to popular taste. Organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, in collaboration with the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, the exhibition was previously on view at both museums.
"Rhythms of Modern Life" highlights the between-war period, a time of immense social and economic change in Europe stimulated by the technological advancements of the modern age. The arts reflected this change by celebrating newly born abstraction and embracing the accelerating, mechanized speed of modern life.
Lill Tschudi (Swiss, active in England, 1911–2004), "Fixing the Wires,” 1932/1937, linocut. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, courtesy Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Beginning with the outbreak of the First World War, the exhibition examines the bold, inventive works of British printmakers who were influenced in their war imagery by Italian Futurism. It continues through the short-lived but vital Vorticist movement (1914–1915) and concludes with the colorful contributions of London's Grosvenor School of Modern Art (1925–1939).
A rich variety of printmaking techniques is on view, including woodcuts, drypoints, lithographs and, above all, color linocuts. The newly popularized linocut technique was embraced in the 1920s and 30s by artists of the Grosvenor School of Modern Art.
In addition to works from the Garfield collection, prints included are from the Museum of Fine Arts, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Wolfsonian–Florida International University and a Boston-area private collector.
The Wolfsonian–Florida International University museum is at 1001 Washington Avenue. For information,
www.wolfsonian.org
or 305-531-1001.
