Western Art and the New Era
Category: Preserve for the Future
Location: Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Library
Western art and the new era; an introduction to modern art
Katherine Dreier was a Progressive Era reformer, painter, writer, and collector, who focused her formidable zeal upon promoting international modern art in America. In 1920, with the aid of Marcel Duchamp and Man Ray, Dreier formed the Société Anonyme, Inc.: Museum of Modern Art: 1920, the country’s first museum of experimental contemporary art. Soon after, Dreier published the survey Western Art and the New Era: An Introduction to Modern Art, dedicated to “Dee,” her affectionate nickname for Duchamp, President of the Société. Despite bringing an evangelical fever to value of modern art, Dreier’s loose, wandering style coupled with her devotion to theosophical mysticism made the book challenging for the casual reader. In 2018, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden secured a promised gift of 35 works by Marcel Duchamp and 15 by his contemporaries including Man Ray, with a corresponding promised gift of more than 150 books on Duchamp for the Hirshhorn Library, which together with the Smithsonian Libraries’ existing collections on Duchamp and his contemporaries will establish the Hirshhorn as one of the foremost Duchamp study centers.
This is an early 20th century paperbound volume. The textblock is intact but the cover and spine are compromised. There are areas of loss to the corners and edges of the covers. The spine has areas of loss at the head and tail. The middle of the spine is cracking because it is directly adhered to the textblock. Conservators will remove the covers and repair the tears and areas of loss to the covers. They will attempt to retain the text of the spine. A new spine will be created, complimenting the original paper cover, any pieces successfully removed will be re-adhered to the new spine. A custom enclosure will be created as the final step.
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