An Artist's View: Cubism: The Leonard A. Lauder Collection

When I recently planned a brief trip to New York City, I was thrilled to learn of the much-anticipated exhibition, Cubism: The Leonard A. Lauder Collection. 

The iconic Leonard A. Lauder Collection of the essential Cubists: George Braque (French, 1882-1963), Juan Gris (Spanish, 1887-1927), Fernand Léger(French, 1881-1955) and Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881-1973) is currently on view at The Metropolitan Museum of Art until February 16, 2015 and is well worth a trip to New York.

This historical exhibition of Mr. Lauder's private collection debuts for the first time to the public and includes 81 paintings, works on paper and sculpture: 17 by Braque, 15 by Gris, 15 by Léger and 34 by Picasso.

                                      

                                               George Braque

                                               Trees at L'Estaque L’Estaque, summer 1908

                                               Oil on canvas 

                                               31  5/8 x 23 11/16 in. / 80.3 x 60.2 cm 

                                               Promised Gift from the Leonard A. Lauder Cubist Collection 

                                               © 2014 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris

Although Paul Cézanne (1839-1906) was regarded as a Post-Impressionist, much of his artwork was believed to influence artists that would evolve as Cubists and Fauvists. Through his unique brush strokes and strategic application of pigment, Cézanne was able to construct form and plane. The visual result has been considered an inspiration to generations of modern artists. Considered the most influential art movement in the 20th century, Cubism radically changed classical illusionism in painting, and as Juan Gris said, "revolutionized the way we see the world."

By dismantling traditional perspective and emphasizing the two-dimensional plane, Cubism ultimately became the precursor that led to pure abstraction. In the fall of 1908, Henri Matisse is known to have disparaged Braque's artwork as "painting made of small cubes."

                                                    Georges Braque

                                                      Fruit Dish and Glass 

                                                      Sorgues, autumn 1912 

                                                      Charcoal and cut-and-pasted printed wallpaper with gouache  
                                                      on white laid paper; subsequently mounted on paperboard 

                                                      24 3/4 × 18 in. / 62.9 × 45.7 cm 

                                                      Promised Gift from the Leonard A. Lauder Cubist Collection 

                                                      © 2014 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris

The viewer can expect to see a greater volume of works created by Braque and Picasso within the Leonard A. Lauder Collection.

Between 1909 and 1914, Braque and Picasso collaborated closely, resulting in both artists visiting each other's studio and spending time critiquing their art. During this time Braque and Picasso began to introduce "certainties," a term coined by Braque and referred to unorthodox materials infused into their works of art, i.e. brand labels, painted letters, words newspaper and sheet music.

It was this use of a variety of materials within the painting that resulted in the evolution of the collage, Fruit Dish and Glass, image above.  In this particular artwork Braque incorporated imitation wood-grain wallpaper by pasting it into his still-life composition, resulting in collage. To this point, Cubist collage introduced popular culture into the composition, challenging and defying artwork's pure definition.

Braque and Picasso used their works to create public awareness in a witty, tongue-in-cheek art form. An intriguing example of the shared interest in aviation by Braque and Picasso can be seen in Picasso's The Scallop Shell: "Notre Avenir est dans l'Air." Featured in the image below, this particular oval-shaped painting includes a tromp l'oeil rendering of a 1912 French government pamphlet to raise public support for military aviation.

                               Pablo Picasso
                                      The Scallop Shell: "Notre Avenir est dans l'Air”
                                      Paris, spring 1912
                                      Enamel and oil on canvas
                                      Oval, 15 x 21 3/4 in. / 38.1 x 55.2 cm
                                      Promised Gift from the Leonard A. Lauder Cubist Collection
                                      © 2014 Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

During this time Picasso's works of the female figure continued to evolve into Cubism (image below), ultimately becoming more radical throughout the years and well into 1914.  This form of Cubism was also incorporated into Picasso's sculptures.

                                                  Pablo Picasso
                                                   Woman with a Book
                                                   Paris, spring 1909
                                                   Oil on canvas
                                                   6 1/4 x 28 3/4 in. / 92.1 x 73 cm
                                                   Promised Gift from the Leonard A. Lauder Cubist Collection
                                                   © 2014 Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Juan Gris joined the ranks of Braque and Picasso when the visionary art dealer, Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler in late 1912, represented him.  Shortly afterward, in 1913, Kahnweiler added Fernand Léger to his collection of artists.  

Gris was influenced by the analytic Cubism of Braque and Picasso and infused his works with precisely delineated compositions, flattened planes and harmonious surface patterns.

  

                                                 Juan Gris

                                                 Pears and Grapes on a Table 

                                                 Céret, autumn 1913 

                                                 Oil on canvas 21 1/2 x 28 3/4 in. / 54.6 x 73 cm 

                                                 Promised Gift from the Leonard A. Lauder Cubist Collection

Léger's provocative style evoked the nuances of modern life as he interfaced the spherical and cylindrical with cubic forms.  His famous work, Composition (The Typographer) is one of the largest Cubist works ever painted and reflects Léger's acknowledgement and respect of the workingman, along with his attraction to the allure of modern Paris.

                                                    Fernand Léger
                                                                Composition (The Typographer)
                                                                1918-19
                                                                Oil on canvas
                                                                98 1/4 x 72 1⁄4 in. / 249.6 x 183.5 cm
                                                                Promised Gift from the Leonard A. Lauder Cubist Collection
                                                                © 2014 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris

Cubism: The Leonard A. Lauder Collection gives the viewer the perfect opportunity to further investigate and embrace the modernist movement. Paul Cézanne would be proud.

As an artist, I recognize the collaborative support of Mr. Lauder and the Metropolitan Museum of Art to establish the Leonard A. Lauder Research Center for Modern Art to be a stimulating and ground-breaking achievement.  

About the Leonard A. Lauder Research Center for Modern Art

The new Leonard A. Lauder Research Center for Modern Art will foster research, programming, and publications on the Met’s collections of modern art and on Cubism’s enduring impact in the 20th and 21st centuries. It is supported by an endowment funded by generous grants from Museum trustees and supporters, including Mr. Lauder. 

Under the auspices of the Center, the Metropolitan has awarded its inaugural fellowships for terms to begin in September 2014.  Two two-year fellowships for pre- and post-doctoral work will be awarded annually. Additionally senior scholars will be invited for residencies at the Museum. Through a program of lectures, study workshops, dossier exhibitions, publications, and a vibrant web presence (available via www.metmuseum.org/laudercenter), the Center will focus art-historical study and public appreciation of modern art generally and on Cubism in particular, and serve as a training ground for the next generation of scholars. The Center will eventually include a library and an archive on Cubism donated by Mr. Lauder.

Mr. Lauder always intended that his collection would serve as a catalyst for further and sustained study of early modern art.  The presence of his extraordinary Cubist collection at the Museum will transform the Metropolitan’s galleries and programming, just as his support of the Center will ensure that modern art remains a focus of continued study at the highest levels of scholarship.  

Exhibition Credits 

Cubism: The Leonard A. Lauder Collection is organized by Rebecca Rabinow, the Leonard A. Lauder Curator of Modern Art and Curator in Charge of the Leonard A. Lauder Research Center for Modern Art at the Metropolitan Museum, and Emily Braun, Curator of the Leonard A. Lauder Cubist Collection and Distinguished Professor of Art History at Hunter College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Exhibition design is by Michael Langley, Exhibition Design Manager; graphics are by Connie Norkin, Graphic Design Manager; and lighting is by Clint Ross Coller and Richard Lichte, Lighting Design Managers, all of the Museum's Design Department.

The exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.

The wall colors in the exhibition are provided by Farrow & Ball.