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Edith Halpert and the Rise of American Art

Oct. 18, 2019 – Feb. 9, 2020

The first exhibition to explore the remarkable career of Edith Halpert, the trailblazing art dealer whose influence, eye, and passion for American art championed the work of Stuart Davis, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Jacob Lawrence, Georgia O’Keeffe, Ben Shahn, and Charles Sheeler.

Born to a Jewish family in Odessa, Russia (now Ukraine), Edith Halpert (1900–1970) was the first significant female gallerist in the United States, propelling American art to the fore at a time when the European avant-garde still enthralled the world. In 1926, Halpert opened the Downtown Gallery in New York City, the first commercial art space in bohemian Greenwich Village. She deliberately promoted a diverse group of living American artists, fundamentally shifting the public’s opinion of whose voices mattered in the art world. Though an outsider in many respects—as a woman, an immigrant, and a Jew—Halpert was, for over 40 years, the country’s defining authority of the American art landscape. Not only did her trailblazing career pave the way for the next generation of women leaders in the art world, Halpert’s inclusive vision continues to inform our understanding of American art today as being pluralistic, generous in its parameters, and infused with idealism.

Halpert’s socially progressive values were on full display at her gallery.  In addition to regularly presenting work by women, immigrants, and Jewish artists, the Downtown Gallery was the first major mainstream art space in New York City to promote the work of African American artists, including Jacob Lawrence and Horace Pippin. When the Japanese American painter Yasuo Kuniyoshi was classified as an enemy alien during World War II, she mounted a defiant exhibition of his paintings in 1942. From Georgia O’Keeffe to Ben Shahn, the artists she supported became icons of American modernism. With her revolutionary program at the Downtown Gallery, Halpert inspired generations of Americans to value the art of their own country, in their own time. Halpert’s insistence to support free expression and diverse perspectives as defining features of American art and culture has never been more timely or relevant.

Edith Halpert and the Rise of American Art will feature approximately 100 works of American modern and folk art that passed through the Downtown Gallery. Highlights from Halpert’s acclaimed personal collection, reassembled for the first time since its landmark sale in 1973, will also be on view.

#EdithHalpert

 

In the Press

“enthralling exhibition …with a fascinating back story.”
— The New York Times

“a story of selling gone right”
— The New Yorker

“an elegant show that is both comprehensively informative and a delight to visit”
— The Wall Street Journal

The exhibition is organized by Rebecca Shaykin, Associate Curator, The Jewish Museum, New York. Yale University Press and the Jewish Museum will co-publish a catalogue in conjunction with the exhibition.

Edith Halpert and the Rise of American Art is made possible by the Henry Luce Foundation, the Knapp Family Foundation, the Joyce & Daniel Cowin Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, a gift from the estate of Gaby and Curtis Hereld, Alice L. Walton Foundation, Wyeth Foundation for American Art, and Marina and Andrew Lewin.

Additional support is provided through The Skirball Fund for American Jewish Life Exhibitions, Horace W. Goldsmith Exhibitions Endowment Fund, The Leon Levy Foundation, The Alfred J. Grunebaum & Ruth Grunebaum Sondheimer Memorial Fund, and the Joan Rosenbaum Exhibition endowment.

In-kind support provided by Christie’s.

The publication is made possible, in part, by the Dorot Foundation.

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The Mobile Tour is made possible by

Bloomberg Philanthropies logo
A black-and-white photograph of a gallery interior. A woman sits confidently at the center in an armchair, wearing a dark dress with a brooch. Surrounding her are six men, each standing or sitting with framed modern artworks, including abstract and cubist paintings. The room has a low ceiling, tiled floor, and art storage racks in the background, giving the sense of a private gallery or collection room from the mid-20th century.

Edith Halpert at the Downtown Gallery, surrounded by some of her artists, in a photograph for Life magazine in 1952. Photograph © Estate of Louis Faurer

Exhibition highlights

  • An abstract geometric painting featuring overlapping angular shapes and planes in muted tones of green, brown, black, beige, gold, and blue, with a soft pink background. The composition creates a sense of layered depth and architectural structure, with bold, flat areas of color intersecting at sharp angles.

    Stuart Davis, Egg Beater No. 1, 1927, oil on linen. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, purchase: gift of Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney. Artwork © Estate of Stuart Davis / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

  • A stylized painting of two figures, an adult and a child, seated side by side at a red piano. The adult, wearing a blue garment, leans slightly toward the child, who is dressed in white. Open sheets of music in shades of blue and brown are scattered on the piano’s music stand. The piano keys are prominently displayed in black and white, and the floor is dark wood. The overall scene conveys a sense of teaching or shared musical experience.

    Jacob Lawrence, The Music Lesson, from the Harlem series, 1943, gouache on paper. New Jersey State Museum, Trenton, FA1973.19. Artwork © The Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence Foundation, Seattle / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

  • Painting of a young boy with large eyes, wearing a red shirt with blue suspenders, extending his open hand forward against a textured blue background.

    Ben Shahn, Hunger, 1946, tempera on board. Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art, Auburn University, Advancing American Art Collection. Artwork © Estate of Ben Shahn / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

  • Seated woman in black stockings and a red camisole poses on a brown chair beside a glass bowl of fruit, with draped orange curtains in the background.

    Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Circus Girl Resting, 1925. Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art Auburn University, Alabama Advancing American Art Collection. Artwork © Estate of Yasuo Kuniyoshi / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

  • Colorful city street scene with apartment buildings, a church, pedestrians, cars, and signs for a bar, beauty shop, funeral home, and dance hall.

    Jacob Lawrence, This is Harlem, 1943, gouache and pencil on paper. Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, purchase: gift of Joseph H. Hirshhorn, 1966. Artwork © The Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence Foundation, Seattle / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo: Cathy Carver.

  • A large, crisply folded white sheet hangs on a line, partially obscuring a nude figure behind it with only an arm, head, and foot visible.

    Raphaelle Peale, Venus Rising From the Sea-A Deception, ca. 1822, oil on canvas. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri, purchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust.

  • Portrait of a woman in a black dress with elaborate lace bonnet holding the hand of a child in a white dress and bonnet, who holds pink flowers.

    Milton William Hopkins, Portrait of Agnes Frazee and her Child, 1834, oil on canvas. Philadelphia Museum of Art, Collection of Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, 1972.

  • Carved wooden ship figurehead of a woman in flowing robes, one arm extended forward and the other raised, wearing a crown or headdress.

    Henry Leach for Cushing & White Co., Liberty weathervane pattern, 1879, carved and painted wood with gilding and metal. Collection of Shelburne Museum, Shelburne, Vermont, purchase: Edith Halpert, The Downtown Gallery, 1949.

  • Top-down view of a table with a backgammon board, two cups, and bowls, surrounded by patterned rugs, chairs, and pillows in a domestic interior.

    Charles Sheeler, Americana, 1931, oil on canvas. Metropolitan Museum of Art, Edith and Milton Lowenthal Collection, Bequest of Edith Abrahamson Lowenthal, 1991.

  • An African American family in a domestic interior; a man sits pulling on a boot, two children sit at a table, and a woman in an apron serves food.

    Horace Pippin, Sunday Morning Breakfast, 1943, oil on fabric. Saint Louis Art Museum, Museum Funds; Friends Fund; Bequest of Marie Setz Hertslet, Museum, purchase: Eliza McMillan Trust, and Gift of Mrs. Carll Tucker, by exchange.

  • Close-up view of two oversized poppies, one pale peach and one white, with dark centers and soft, flowing petals against a light blue sky.

    Georgia O'Keeffe, Poppies, 1950, oil on canvas. Milwaukee Art Museum, purchase: gift of Mrs. Harry Lynde Bradley. Artwork © Georgia O'Keeffe Museum / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York; Photo: John R. Glembin.

  • Associate Curator Rebecca Shaykin shares her research on the life of pioneering art gallerist Edith Halpert.

    Associate Curator Rebecca Shaykin shares her research on the life of pioneering art gallerist Edith Halpert.

  • Artists Mike Cloud, Louis Fratino, and Tschabalala Self contemplate what American painting is today in a panel moderated by writer and critic Martha Schwendener.

    Artists Mike Cloud, Louis Fratino, and Tschabalala Self contemplate what American painting is today in a panel moderated by writer and critic Martha Schwendener.

  • Lindsay Pollock, author of

    Lindsay Pollock, author of "The Girl with the Gallery: Edith Gregor Halpert and the Making of the Modern Art Market," leads a discussion on Edith Halpert’s lasting influence on women in the commercial gallery scene. This program is in conjunction with the exhibition, "Edith Halpert and the Rise of American Art."

  • Exhibition entrance with large text reading “Edith Halpert and the Rise of American Art” on a dark blue wall; adjacent is a black-and-white photo mural of Edith Halpert seated with artists and artworks.

    Installation view of Edith Halpert and the Rise of American Art. The Jewish Museum, New York. Photo by: Jason Mandella

  • Exhibition gallery with paintings and sculptures on view; artworks include colorful abstract and figurative pieces on dark gray walls, with a central display case holding archival materials.

    Installation view of Edith Halpert and the Rise of American Art. The Jewish Museum, New York. Photo by: Jason Mandella

  • Gallery wall displaying five works: four framed paintings of landscapes and flowers, and a central white stone sculpture of a seated figure under a glass case, all on light gray walls with wood flooring.

    Installation view of Edith Halpert and the Rise of American Art. The Jewish Museum, New York. Photo by: Jason Mandella

  • Gallery with folk art sculptures and paintings: metal rooster and cow weathervanes on the left wall, two framed portraits and a small framed firearm, a wooden horse sculpture in a glass case, and a running horse silhouette above a doorway.

    Installation view of Edith Halpert and the Rise of American Art. The Jewish Museum, New York. Photo by: Jason Mandella

  • Installation view of Edith Halpert and the Rise of American Art. The Jewish Museum, New York. Photo by: Jason Mandella

    Installation view of Edith Halpert and the Rise of American Art. The Jewish Museum, New York. Photo by: Jason Mandella

  • Installation view of Edith Halpert and the Rise of American Art. The Jewish Museum, New York. Photo by: Jason Mandella

    Installation view of Edith Halpert and the Rise of American Art. The Jewish Museum, New York. Photo by: Jason Mandella

  • Installation view of Edith Halpert and the Rise of American Art. The Jewish Museum, New York. Photo by: Jason Mandella

    Installation view of Edith Halpert and the Rise of American Art. The Jewish Museum, New York. Photo by: Jason Mandella

  • Installation view of Edith Halpert and the Rise of American Art. The Jewish Museum, New York. Photo by: Jason Mandella

    Installation view of Edith Halpert and the Rise of American Art. The Jewish Museum, New York. Photo by: Jason Mandella

Audio

The audio guide is made possible by Bloomberg Philanthropies.

Download the audio guide transcript.

The Jewish Museum · Edith Halpert and the Rise of American Art

Download the Verbal Description audio guide transcript.

The Jewish Museum · Edith Halpert and the Rise of American Art: Verbal Descriptions