The Night Watch at the Museum of American Art in Prishtina: "Cubism and Abstract Art"

Reading of “Cubism and Abstract Art” by Alfred H. Barr Jr.
February 7, 2023 at 19:00

Stacion - Center for Contemporary Art Prishtina and Museum of American Art in Prishtina are pleased to present the continuation of the series, The Night Watch at the Museum of American Art in Prishtina, with the reading of "Cubism and Abstract Art" by Alfred H. Barr Jr.

Painting, sculpture, industrial and commercial art, typography, photography, the theater and the cinema have felt the influence of Cubism and abstract art. The history of non-representational art is here traced from its late 19th century antecedents to its present renaissance.

Sometimes in the history of art it is possible to describe a period or a generation of artists as having been obsessed by a particular problem.

In the early twentieth century the dominant interest was almost exactly the opposite. The pictorial conquest of the external visual world had been completed and refined many times and in different ways during the previous half millennium. The more adventurous and original artists had grown bored with painting facts. By a common and powerful impulse they were driven to abandon the imitation of natural appearance.

As part of our ongoing series, The Night Watch at the Museum of American Art in Prishtina, we will be reading collectively the Preface of "Cubism and Abstract Art" by Alfred H. Barr Jr., including notes on "Abstract" and "Abstract Art and Politics." , where we delve into the collections and examine the works in greater detail.
Each event in this series is a research and learning exercise on a single work or series of works from the Museum of American Art collection in Prishtina. An essay, documentary, a reading or discussion illuminates the subject in detail and places that work within the life and career of the artist or visitors and the broader historical contexts. This series is a valuable guide to exploring and interpreting some of the most beloved works of art in the Museum of American Art collection in Prishtina.

(The material is accessible in English, Albanian and Serbian language. The event is limited to 10 attendees. RSVP to the event to confirm your attendance)