Modern Art 1940–1980

On View: East Building, Upper Level

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76 artworks on view.

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A landscape seen through sheer lace curtains that billow in toward us from an open window nearly fills this horizontal painting. The window is angled slightly downward as it extends off the right side of the composition, so it does not line up with the edges of the rectangular painting. The narrow strip of dove-gray wall to the left of the window casement is cracked near the simple, deep gray molding that surrounds the window. Slivers of light peek through rips in the dark shade that covers upper third of the window. The right curtain panel surges toward us as the left panel flutters lightly off to our side. The inner edges are trimmed with subtle lace birds and flowers. The window looks down onto an expanse of olive-green grass and dark green trees line the far edge of the field. Tire tracks cross the field from near the lower left corner of the painting to our left, and into the distance to meet a sliver of white, perhaps a body of water.

Wind from the Sea

Andrew Wyeth

1947

Tempera on hardboard  Accession ID  2009.13.1

On View: East Building, Upper Level, Gallery E407
Two bird-like creatures almost fill this this vertical abstract painting. Behind them, the composition is divided into three horizonal zones. The top zone is layered with washes of pink and blue. The middle has vertical and horizontal strokes of ash brown over tan. The third zone, along the bottom, has broad strokes of mint green and white. The two bird-like creatures span the height of the middle zone, with their heads extending into the top zone and their tails into the bottom. The creature on our right looks more like a bird, with a light gray, wedge-shaped body covered with peach-colored dabs that suggest plumage. A curved wing-like shape emerges from its right side. A spindly neck and an orange eye facing our right in profile extend into the upper, pink and blue zone. In that zone, above the bird’s head, are a blue and yellow spiral, at the top center of the painting, and a mint-green, curving form reminiscent of a butterfly near the upper right corner. The creature on our left is more difficult to follow. In the upper zone, a ghostly, rooster-like head faces our right in profile, with a coxcomb and long, beard-like shape striped with angled, chevron lines down its length. In the middle, a form that could be the bird’s wide body has horizonal black lines against a white field. The white areas curve around a peach-colored shape, like a fat, cartoonish exclamation point, up the center. What could be tail feathers fan out into the mint-green zone along the bottom. The artist signed the lower right corner, “MARK ROTHKO.”

Hierarchical Birds

Mark Rothko

1944

Oil on canvas  Accession ID  1986.43.20

On View: East Building, Upper Level, Gallery E407
Rectangles and bands of saturated colors are stacked agasint a golden yellow field in this abstract, vertical painting. About a quarter of the way down the composition a thin strip of vibrant orange rests on a thicker, wider band of deep plum purple, which almost spans the width of the canvas. Just below and as wide as the purple band, the largest, velvety black rectangle takes up at least a third of the composition. A narrower rectangular area below was painted with copper green over rusty orange. The edges of all of the forms are soft and blended.

Untitled

Mark Rothko

1949

Pigmented hide glue and oil on canvas  Accession ID  1986.43.138

On View: East Building, Upper Level, Gallery E407
This vertical painting imitates the front page of a newspaper, with mostly black text in different sizes against a white background. The bottom two-thirds is dominated by a black and white photograph of a woman and three lines of a single, large headline. To our left, the narrow, vertical portrait shows a smiling woman looking off to our left from the corners of her eyes. She has prominent, arching eyebrows and wears a white, possibly fuzzy hat over dark hair. The background behind her is charcoal gray. The largest text on the page fills the space next to her, to our right. It reads, “A BOY FOR MEG” in slanted letters. Under her portrait is the caption, “See Page 3” in small text. Moving to the top third of the painting: at the top left is a square portrait showing just the face of a man wearing a fedora, done in sky and royal blue. The caption under the portrait reads, “In the Magazine.” The headline that runs next to it has white text against ocean blue, and it reads, “Sinatra and his ‘Rat Pack’ TODAY: The Leader Himself (Con’t).” In the horizontal zone beneath the blue banner and above the portrait and headline about Meg, the title of the newspaper is the “New York Post.” To the left, a box reads, “WEATHER Fog tonight. in the 60s. Tomorrow: cloudy and warm, chance of showers.” In a box under the newspaper name, it reads, “NEW YORK, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 1961 10 Cents.” A secondary headline, to our right, reads, “LATEST STOCK PRICES Pages 85-88.”

A Boy for Meg

Andy Warhol

1962

Oil and egg emulsion on canvas  Accession ID  1971.87.11

On View: East Building, Upper Level, Gallery E407
This painting features various swirling and interlocking shapes and lines creating a complex composition. It includes forms similar to naked human figures, although some are in strange positions and some are only partially visible. In the upper left corner, there are vertical red and white striped lines that evoke the American flag. Near the upper-left corner are some shapes that look like tree limbs. Below those, a strange blue shape that looks like a ghostly face emerges from the chest of a person. The rest of the shapes are abstract and ambiguous. The background near the top-right corner seems to be black, while the background near the bottom-left corner seems to be white.

Reunión en la OEA (Meeting at the OAS)

Mariano

1965

Oil on canvas  Accession ID  2022.44.1

On View: East Building, Upper Level, Gallery E407
This painting contains three panels showing scenes of people, painted with bold, angular lines and shapes. In the first panel on the far left, a mostly nude woman holding a sword-like object sits opposite a man with a palette. He stands in front of a large canvas and appears to be painting the woman. The middle panel features three people, one holding a ladder and another holding what appears to be a large bird, with the third person standing in front of them and facing away from us. Two of the people are nude and the third wears only pants. The rightmost panel portrays individuals surrounded by musical instruments, including a stringed instrument held by one person and a sheet of music in another's hand. All three panels are painted with bold, thick lines, and shades of light pink, purple, and gray dominate the piece, with areas of purple, green, and light blue.

The Argonauts

Max Beckmann

1949/1950

Oil on canvas  Accession ID  1975.96.1.a-c

On View: East Building, Upper Level, Gallery E407
This vertical painting depicts two people creating art. In the background, a male figure with light skin and brown hair faces the right, leaning towards a large blank canvas and holding a paintbrush and a palette. He wears a short-sleeved shirt with checkered patterns. In front of him, a female figure sits atop what appears to be a pale-yellow helmet, her body facing the left and her head turned away from us. She has light, pink-toned skin and dark hair put up in a bun. Her torso is nude, and she has a red cloth wrapped around her left arm. Her legs are mostly bare aside from a short green garment and high yellow sandals. In her hands, she holds a long blue sword. There is a small potted plant in the bottom left corner, and the background is in muted tones of light gray.

The Argonauts [left panel]

Max Beckmann

1949/1950

Oil on canvas  Accession ID  1975.96.1.a

On View: East Building, Upper Level, Gallery E407

The Argonauts [middle panel]

Max Beckmann

1949/1950

Oil on canvas  Accession ID  1975.96.1.b

On View: East Building, Upper Level, Gallery E407

The Argonauts [right panel]

Max Beckmann

1949/1950

Oil on canvas  Accession ID  1975.96.1.c

On View: East Building, Upper Level, Gallery E407
This painting displays an abstract composition with irregular, textured forms. The central shape is similar to an irregular oval that shows hues of pale pink, blue, purple, and white in thick, textured brushstrokes. The surrounding area features shades of muted beige and gray in soft, sweeping lines that are also visible, but less textured.

Body and Soul

Jean Fautrier

1957

Oil and varnish with sand and dry pigment on paper mounted on canvas  Accession ID  2003.138.1

On View: East Building, Upper Level, Gallery E407
Shown from the knees up, a man with light skin shaded with sage green sits in a carrot-orange, high-backed chair, looking at us in this stylized, vertical portrait. Brown hair sweeps across his forehead and his interlaced fingers rest on his head so his elbows splay to the sides. The green shading is especially noticeable in the contours of his face and the underside of his thin arms. One black eyebrow is slightly arched over pale silver eyes. His pink lips are closed in a straight line and there is the suggestion of a cleft in his chin. He wears a white tee shirt and khaki pants, and his knees are relaxed open. His chest is slightly sunken in as he leans into the chair. The chair and his body and features are outlined in black. Brushstrokes are noticeable throughout, and the background is especially loosely painted. Areas of watery lavender purple, pale blue, and tan suggest the structure of a room. Light falls onto the man from our left.

Hartley

Alice Neel

1966

Oil on canvas  Accession ID  1991.143.2

On View: East Building, Upper Level, Gallery E406

Desert Landscape

William Baziotes

1951

Oil and charcoal on canvas  Accession ID  1996.81.1

On View: East Building, Upper Level, Gallery E407

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