Picasso's war : the year the art world came to America

NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS’ CHOICE • A riveting story of how dueling ambitions and the power of prodigy made America the cultural center of the world—and Picasso the most famous artist alive—in the shadow of World War II “Fascinating, eloquent, wonderfully lucid, Picasso’s War will change whatever we thought we knew about modern art and its complicated reception on this side of the Atlantic.”—Francine Prose, author of The Vixen In January 1939, Pablo Picasso was renowned in Europe but disdained by many in the United States. One year later, Americans across the country were clamoring to see his art. How did the controversial leader of the Paris avant-garde break through to the heart of American culture? The answer begins a generation earlier, when a renegade Irish American lawyer named John Quinn set out to build the greatest collection of Picassos in existence. His dream of a museum to house them died with him, until it was rediscovered by Alfred H. Barr, Jr., a cultural visionary who, at the age of twenty-seven, became the director of New York’s new Museum of Modern Art. Barr and Quinn’s shared goal would be thwarted in the years to come—by popular hostility, by the Depression, by Parisian intrigues, and by Picasso himself. It would take Hitler’s campaign against Jews and modern art, and Barr’s fraught alliance with Paul Rosenberg, Picasso’s persecuted dealer, to get Picasso’s most important paintings out of Europe. Mounted in the shadow of war, the groundbreaking exhibition Picasso: Forty Years of His Art would launch Picasso in America, define MoMA as we know it, and shift the focus of the art world from Paris to New York. Picasso’s War is the never-before-told story about how a single exhibition, a decade in the making, irrevocably changed American taste, and in doing so saved dozens of the twentieth century’s most enduring artworks from the Nazis. Through a deft combination of new scholarship and vivid storytelling, Hugh Eakin shows how two men and their obsession with Picasso changed the art world forever. The Untold Story Of The Exhibition That Made America The Center Of The Art World--and Picasso The Most Famous Artist Alive--in The Shadow Of World War Ii In January 1939, Picasso Was Renowned In Europe, But Little Appreciated In The United States. One Year Later, The Unconventional Spaniard Had Become The Poster Child Of Modern Art In America And The Inspiration For An Entire Generation Of Painters. How Did This Difficult Parisian Avant-gardiste Break Through To The Heart Of American Culture? The Answer Begins In 1913, When A Renegade Irish American Lawyer Named John Quinn Set Out To Make New York The World's Modern Art Capital By Building The Greatest Collection Of Picassos In Existence. His Dream Of A Museum To House Them Died With Him, Until It Was Rediscovered By Alfred H. Barr, Jr., A Wunderkind Art Historian Who Became The Director Of The New Museum Of Modern Art At The Age Of Twenty-seven. The Goal Barr Shared With Quinn, Of Bringing Picasso's Work To The United States And Changing The Way People Thought About Art, Would Be Thwarted In The Decades To Come--by Popular Hostility, By The Depression, By Scheming Art Dealers, And By Picasso Himself. It Would Take Hitler's Campaign Against Modern Art, And Barr's Fraught Partnership With Paul Rosenberg, Picasso's Dealer And A French Aesthete Escaping Europe's Anti-semitism, To Get Picasso's Paintings Out Of Europe. Mounted In The Shadow Of War, The Groundbreaking Exhibition Picasso: Forty Years Of His Art, Would Launch Picasso In America, Define Moma As We Know It, And Shift The Focus Of The Art World From Paris To New York. In Picasso's War, Hugh Eakin Relates This Never-before-told Story About How One Exhibition Irrevocably Changed American Taste, And In Doing So Ultimately Saved Hundreds Of Priceless Pieces Of Art From The Nazis. A Tale Of Power-hungry Dealers, Maverick Collectors, And Temperamental Artists, Picasso's War Ranges From The Mansions Of Fifth Avenue To The Hidden Storerooms Of Nazi Germany. With Half A Decade Of Research, Eakin Acquired Access To Hundreds Of Letters And Documents, Many Of Which Have Never Been Publicly Seen. Through A Deft Combination Of Scholarship And Storytelling, Eakin Shows How A Few Visionaries' Obsession With Picasso Made The Man An Icon And Changed The Art World Forever. A riveting story of how dueling ambitions and the power of prodigy made America the cultural center of the world—and Picasso the most famous artist alive—in the shadow of World War II “[Eakin] has mastered this material. . . . The book soars.”— The New York Times Book Review (Editors’ Choice) ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Vanity Fair, The New York Times Book Review, The New Yorker In January 1939, Pablo Picasso was renowned in Europe but disdained by many in the United States. One year later, Americans across the country were clamoring to see his art. How did the controversial leader of the Paris avant-garde break through to the heart of American culture? The answer begins a generation earlier, when a renegade Irish American lawyer named John Quinn set out to build the greatest collection of Picassos in existence. His dream of a museum to house them died with him, until it was rediscovered by Alfred H. Barr, Jr., a cultural visionary who, at the age of twenty-seven, became the director of New York’s new Museum of Modern Art. Barr and Quinn’s shared goal would be thwarted in the years to come—by popular hostility, by the Depression, by Parisian intrigues, and by Picasso himself. It would take Hitler’s campaign against Jews and modern art, and Barr’s fraught alliance with Paul Rosenberg, Picasso’s persecuted dealer, to get Picasso’s most important paintings out of Europe. Mounted in the shadow of war, the groundbreaking exhibition Picasso: Forty Years of His Art would launch Picasso in America, define MoMA as we know it, and shift the focus of the art world from Paris to New York. Picasso’s War is the never-before-told story about how a single exhibition, a decade in the making, irrevocably changed American taste, and in doing so saved dozens of the twentieth century’s most enduring artworks from the Nazis. Through a deft combination of new scholarship and vivid storytelling, Hugh Eakin shows how two men and their obsession with Picasso changed the art world forever. Picasso’s War is the never-before-told story about how a single exhibition, a decade in the making, made America the cultural centre of the world and Picasso the most famous artist alive... and in so doing, saving dozens of the 20th century’s most enduring artworks from the Nazis“Admirable and enjoyable... The story in Picasso’s War is well told, with an impressive level of biographical detail.” - Louis Menand, The New YorkerIn January 1939, Pablo Picasso was renowned in Europe but disdained by many in the United States. One year later, Americans across the country were clamouring to see his art. How did the controversial leader of the Paris avant-garde break through to the heart of American culture? The answer begins a generation earlier when a renegade Irish American lawyer named John Quinn set out to build the greatest collection of Picassos in existence. His dream of a museum to house them died with him until it was rediscovered by Alfred H. Barr, Jr., a cultural visionary who, at the age of twenty-seven, became the director of New York’s new Museum of Modern Art. Barr and Quinn’s shared goal would be thwarted in the years to come. It would take Hitler’s campaign against Jews and modern art, and Barr’s fraught alliance with Paul Rosenberg, Picasso’s persecuted dealer, to get Picasso’s most important paintings out of Europe. “[Eakin] has mastered this material... he manages to braid aesthetics with history with personal details... the book soars. His achievement is keeping the complex plotline moving while offering sharp insights and astute judgments.” - The New York Times Book ReviewMounted in the shadow of war, the groundbreaking exhibition Picasso: Forty Years of His Art would launch Picasso in America, define MoMA as we know it, and shift the focus of the art world from Paris to New York. Through a deft combination of new scholarship and vivid st Title Page 2 Copyright 3 Contents 4 Preface 7 Prologue 9 Part I 15 Chapter 1: Not in America 16 Chapter 2: The Half-Life of a Painting 25 Chapter 3: Paris, East 30 Chapter 4: French Lessons 41 Chapter 5: A Glimpse of the Lady 48 Chapter 6: Cubism in Congress 61 Chapter 7: The Chess Player and the Showman 72 Chapter 8: End of an Idyll 81 Chapter 9: The Grand Illusion 90 Chapter 10: Cubists at War 103 Chapter 11: A New Beginning 114 Chapter 12: Do I Know This Man? 126 Chapter 13: In Picasso’s Garden 137 Chapter 14: Ku Klux Criticism 149 Chapter 15: Dangerous Liaisons 158 Chapter 16: Dinner at Quinn’s 170 Chapter 17: The Last Battle 180 Part II 190 Chapter 18: The Man Vanishes 191 Chapter 19: The Very Modern Mr. Barr 201 Chapter 20: “Had He Lived Another Decade...” 208 Chapter 21: A Museum of His Own 217 Chapter 22: The Paris Project 226 Chapter 23: “When a Picasso Wins All the Races...” 232 Chapter 24: The Balance of Power 243 Chapter 25: Defeat 255 Chapter 26: “Make Art...German Again” 267 Chapter 27: Connecticut Chic 281 Chapter 28: “Risking My Life for My Work” 293 Chapter 29: The Year Without Painting 305 Chapter 30: Spanish Fury 316 Chapter 31: “Such a Painting Could Never Again Be Had” 330 Chapter 32: The Last of Paris 343 Chapter 33: “More Important Than War” 358 Chapter 34: Escape 373 Epilogue 389 Dedication 399 Photo Insert 400 Acknowledgments 421 Selected Bibliography 425 Notes 430 Text Permissions 510 Photo Credits 512 Index 514 About the Author 572 "The untold story of the exhibition that made America the center of the art world -- and Picasso the most famous artist alive -- in the shadow of World War II"-- Provided by publisher.