The Art of This Century gallery facts for kids

The Art of This Century gallery was a famous art gallery in New York City. It was opened by Peggy Guggenheim on October 20, 1942. The gallery showed important modern art. It closed in 1947 when Peggy Guggenheim went back to Europe. A creative architect named Frederick Kiesler designed the gallery.

What Was the Gallery About?

The gallery showed art from well-known European artists. It focused a lot on Surrealism, which is an art style that uses dreams and imagination. It also showed art from American artists, many of whom were just starting out. The gallery became a key place where European artists who had left their homes met and showed their work. It was also a place for new American artists. This helped create a new art movement called the New York School.

European Artists You Might Know

Some of the European artists who showed their work here included:

• Jean Arp
• Georges Braque
• Salvador Dalí
• Max Ernst
• Alberto Giacometti
• Wassily Kandinsky
• Fernand Léger
• Joan Miró
• Pablo Picasso

American Artists Who Got Their Start Here

Many American artists had their first big shows at this gallery, such as:

• William Baziotes
• Alexander Calder
• Joseph Cornell
• Willem de Kooning
• Robert Motherwell
• Jackson Pollock
• Mark Rothko
• Clyfford Still

Cool Gallery Spaces

The Art of This Century gallery had four special rooms. Each room was designed differently by Frederick Kiesler. These rooms were the Abstract Gallery, the Surrealist Gallery, the Kinetic Gallery, and the Daylight Gallery. The first three rooms showed Peggy Guggenheim's own art collection. The Daylight Gallery was used for temporary shows where new artists could display their work.

The Abstract Gallery

This was the first room you entered. It had wavy walls covered in blue canvas. The floor was also painted blue. The paintings in this room hung from the ceiling using ropes. Some sculptures also floated in the air. The furniture in this room was also special. It could be used as easels for paintings or stands for sculptures.

The Surrealist Gallery

This room was very famous and unique. It was long and painted black. The art hung on curved wall units that stuck out towards you. Spotlights lit up each painting one by one. Sometimes, the room would go completely dark. Then, you would hear the sound of a train coming closer, which was a bit spooky!

The Kinetic Gallery

This room was dark and felt like a carnival funhouse. Visitors could touch and play with the art. One display had a spiral-shaped ship's wheel. When you turned it, you could see art through a small hole. Another display was like a mechanical ferris wheel. It rotated small artworks by Paul Klee for you to see.

The Daylight Gallery

This room was called the Daylight Gallery because it had big windows facing the street. It looked like a normal art gallery with white walls. All of Peggy Guggenheim's temporary art shows happened here. Many famous American artists, like Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko, had their first important shows in this room. This room also had special wheeled easels with glass rods. You could sit down and study the artworks closely.

Art During World War II

During World War II, many male artists joined the US military. This meant there were fewer male artists in New York City. The galleries that were still open often showed art by these remaining male artists and some female artists. They also showed art by European modern artists. This group of artists was sometimes called the Uptown Group.

The Uptown Group (Before 1945)

Some artists who were part of this group included:

• Adolph Gottlieb
• David Hare
• Robert Motherwell
• Jackson Pollock
• Richard Pousette-Dart
• Ad Reinhardt

Jackson Pollock had his first solo art show at the Art of This Century Gallery in 1943. The gallery even paid him a yearly amount of money.

Exhibition by 31 Women

From January 5 to February 6, 1943, the gallery held a special show. It was called Exhibition by 31 Women. This show only featured art by women artists. This was very unusual for the time. Famous artists like Marcel Duchamp and Max Ernst helped choose the art for the show.

The artists in the show came from many different countries. Some of them were:

• Leonora Carrington
• Frida Kahlo
• Louise Nevelson
• Meret Oppenheim
• Kay Sage
• Dorothea Tanning
• Sophie Taeuber-Arp
• Pegeen Vail Guggenheim (Peggy's daughter)

Even though the show didn't make a lot of money, people liked it. However, one magazine reviewer refused to cover it. He said there were no good women artists, which was unfair.

Another show called "The Women" happened in 1945. It featured 33 women artists. Some new artists in this show included Louise Bourgeois and Lee Krasner. This exhibition was very important. It has inspired new art shows, perfumes, and even clothing collections since then.

Gallery Closes

Peggy Guggenheim closed the Art of This Century Gallery in May 1947. Another important art dealer named Betty Parsons took over representing many of the artists.

Images for kids

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  A robot for kids

See also

In Spanish: Art of this Century para niños