Of Modernism

Of Modernism brings together twelve original essays by leading scholars in modernist art history, offering new perspectives on key questions in European modernism. From major themes such as theatre imagery in the art of the First World War, modern art and theosophy, modernism and the bullfight, or the modernist grid and the figure of the tangle, to specific case studies on Seurat's reception, the archaeology of the Demoiselles d'Avignon, cubism and crystallography, or Picasso's poetry, these richly illustrated texts present a fascinating cross-section of current research in modernist art history, at the cutting edge of contemporary scholarship. Taken as a whole, the essays pay tribute to the authors' common formation at the Courtauld Institute of Art, where all the contributors trained under the supervision of Professor Christopher Green.
With major books such as Leger and the Avant-Garde (1976), Cubism and its Enemies (1987), Art in France 1900-1940 (2000), Picasso: Architecture and Vertigo (2005), and exhibitions such as Juan Gris (Whitechapel Gallery, 1992), Roger Fry: Art Made Modern (Courtauld Institute of Art, 2000), Rousseau: Jungles in Paris (Tate Modern and Musee d'Orsay, 2005), and Cubism and War: The Crystal in the Flame (Museu Picasso, Barcelona, 2016), Green has made a crucial contribution to the historiography of European modernism. As a teacher at the Courtauld Institute, his wideranging scholarship and generosity of mind have inspired several generations of students, many of whom have gone on to lead distinguished careers in the worlds of art and academia. Of Modernism is a collection written in his honour.