Roots of MODERN

AN EXHIBITION OF THE NON-EUROPEAN ARTS THAT INCITED MODERN ART AND ARCHITECTURE.

These works - from LongHouse collections - range from African sculpture and textiles to Asian ceramics, spanning 5000 years.

Although modern art didn't spring from a single source, sculptures from primitive countries, particularly African, informed Picasso's development of Cubism - the springboard to abstraction and all that followed. Matisse too, felt liberated by the exuberance of African textiles.

Frank Lloyd Wright's prairie houses sprang from his deep knowledge of Japanese arts, and new architects such as Walter Groplus adopted Japan's use of modules, curtain walls, and functional furnishings to create explosive new environments.

The Asian expressions exhibited at LongHouse are mostly ceramic from several millennia, plus textiles and basketry. Native American fabrics and basketry are also here, along with pre-Columbian examples, and African and Oceanic works including furniture, masks and textiles.

Curated by Jack Larsen, this exhibition is a testament to the deep history imbedded in the designs of modern art and architecture.

Click here to see a catalog of the show.