Pivotal: Drawings and Works on Paper from Artists of the XXth Century Avant-Garde

We are pleased to be a part of Master Drawings New York (27 Jan to 3 of Feb 2024)

The relative importance of an artwork may only become apparent years, if not decades, after its creation. An artist will often work out an idea on paper before executing it in paint or another more costly medium. Later, when considered in relation to the entirety of the artist’s oeuvre, a work on paper will prove itself to be a pivotal moment within the trajectory of the artist’s achievements. 

Our exhibition features works on paper made by artists who were the protagonists of some of the most significant twentieth-century avant-garde movements: Dada, Surrealism, as well as representations from the early pop and conceptual art periods. Galerie 1900-2000 has a long history in placing works of art from these historic movements, with the unique proximity to the Estates of Andre Breton, Hans Bellmer, and Francis Picabia affording the gallery firsthand knowledge into the histories of the pictures being exhibited and sold. 

Artworks such as L’Enfer by Picabia foretell bodies of work that would later come to be. Picabia’s painting on paper is one of the first depictions of his “monsters;” the ghostly faces with many eyes and the dashed lines are recurrent motifs found in this body of work. 

Other works on paper mark pivotal moments in the artist’s careers. For example, a 1915 drawing by the American modern artist Man Ray titled Exhibition at the Daniel Gallery announces his first solo exhibition with the historic New York gallery. It was then that his work began to be shown in the context of progressive American and European artists with already established reputations. By this time, Man Ray had more inventory in his studio than he could keep track of, and he soon turned to the camera as a tool for documenting his artworks. This archival solution quickly gave way to his experimentation with the camera as an artistic tool. 

Other artists included in our presentation are Hans Bellmer, Jean Dubuffet, and Adolf Wolfli who’s works on paper are examples of great contributions to the visual art diaspora. Additional works by Pop and Conceptual artists such as On Kawara, Ed Kienholz, and Tom Wesselmann are also included in our presentation.