Rhythm and Roots: Dance in American Art

Detroit Institute of Arts March 20-June 12, 2016

Denver Art Museum  July 10–Oct. 2, 2016
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Arkansas October 22, 2016-January 16, 2017

Rhythm and Roots: Dance in American Art will present how artists, dancers and choreographers helped form the artistic identity of dance in America. The exhibition will feature about 90 paintings, photographs, sculptures and costumes relating to American dance from 1830 to 1960.



Rhythm and Roots: Dance in American Art will showcase works by American artists from the 19th and 20th centuries, focused on addressing the first influences in American dance, how it evolved over time and how the distinct traditions of American dance came to be. The exhibition will also use objects to demonstrate the dialog between visual artists, dancers and choreographers. Multi-media features such as video, music and interactive spaces will bring to life the dynamic spectacle of motion and performance through art.

Rhythm and Roots: Dance in American Art introduces how dance evolves from the private sphere to the public stage, showcasing new American dances and dance in the club.

The exhibition brings together the greatest nineteenth-century American artists including John Singer Sargent, Winslow Homer, and Mary Cassatt; spotlights the superstars of the Harlem Renaissance including Aaron Douglas, William Johnson, and James Van Der Zee and features the artists who shaped the aesthetics of modern dance including Isamu Noguchi, Jasper Johns, and Andy Warhol.  

The exhibition includes 19th-century paintings that portray dances from America’s diverse communities, from the sacred dances of indigenous North Americans to Irish jigs and Spanish flamencos; paintings that show class distinctions, from the refined quadrille to a sidewalk tarantella; pastoral fantasies of expressive dances performed outdoors; paintings from the turn of the 20th century featuring international female superstars; works by Harlem Renaissance artists who challenged negative stereotypes and sought to create and sustain a vibrant cultural identity; and modern objects that demonstrate a fluid dialogue between visual artists, dancers and choreographers.

- See more at: http://www.dia.org/calendar/exhibition.aspx?id=5396&iid=#sthash.76BMEUJM.dpuf

The exhibition explores the concept of the stage through artists’ historic fascination with and depiction of performers. Pieces featuring iconic American dancers such as Isadora Duncan, Katherine Dunham, Fred Astaire and Josephine Baker are included in the exhibition, as well as Spanish dancer Carmencita Dauset Moreno and Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova painted by American artists.

The exhibition brings together the greatest nineteenth-century American artists including John Singer Sargent, Winslow Homer, and Mary Cassatt; spotlights the superstars of the Harlem Renaissance including Aaron Douglas, William Johnson, and James Van Der Zee and features the artists who shaped the aesthetics of modern dance including Isamu Noguchi, Jasper Johns, and Andy Warhol.  

The exhibition includes 19th-century paintings that portray dances from America’s diverse communities, from the sacred dances of indigenous North Americans to Irish jigs and Spanish flamencos; paintings that show class distinctions, from the refined quadrille to a sidewalk tarantella; pastoral fantasies of expressive dances performed outdoors; paintings from the turn of the 20th century featuring international female superstars; works by Harlem Renaissance artists who challenged negative stereotypes and sought to create and sustain a vibrant cultural identity; and modern objects that demonstrate a fluid dialogue between visual artists, dancers and choreographers.

- See more at: http://www.dia.org/calendar/exhibition.aspx?id=5396&iid=#sthash.76BMEUJM.dpuf

The exhibition concludes with the convergence of artistry between visual artists and dancers where individuals like Diego Rivera and Andy Warhol collaborated with dance companies such as the American Ballet.

“The relationship between two forms of creative expression, dance and art, and the boundless commotion of rhythm and movement is captured through this dance exhibition,” said Daneo. “The artists’ ability to capture fleeting moments through a painting or a sculpture and their fascination with this subject will show how dance as an art form was and still is a vital part of American life and a constant source of inspiration.”

Rhythm and Roots: Dance in American Art has been organized by the Detroit Institute of Arts.

La Carmencita

John Singer Sargent, 1890, oil on canvas. Paris, musée d'Orsay. RF7 46

The Harvest Dance

Joseph Henry Sharp, 1893-1894, oil on canvas. Cincinnati Art Museum, Museum Purchase, 1894.10

Capri Girl on a Rooftop

John Singer Sargent, 1878, oil on canvas. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas

Ruth St. Denis in the Peacock Dance

Robert Cozad Henri, 1919, oil on canvas. Gift of the Sameric Corporation in memory of Eric Shapiro

Salome Dancer

Robert Cozad Henri, 1909, oil on canvas. Mead Art Museum, Amherst College, Museum Purchase,1973.6

The Bear Dance

Willliam Holbrook Beard, ca. 1870, oil on linen. Courtesy of The New-York Historical Society, Gift of Enoch G. Megrue, 1942.108

Youth

Arthur Frank Mathews, ca. 1917, oil on canvas. Collection of the Oakland Museum of California, Gift of Concours d'Antiques, the Art Guild. A66.196.24

The Green Ballet

Everett Shinn, 1943, oil on canvas. The Westmoreland Museum of American Art, Greensburg, PA ,Gift of the William A. Coulter Fund. 1958.35

Dance of the Haymakers

William Sidney Mount, 1845, oil on canvas mounted on wood. The Long Island Museum of American Art, History &Carriages. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Ward Melville, 1950

The Charleston

Frank Myers, 1926, oil on canvas. The Irvine Museum

Jitterbugs (II)

William H. Johnson, ca. 1941, oil on paperboard. Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation. 1967.59.611

Carmencita

William Merritt Chase, 1890, oil on canvas. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of Sir William Van Horne. 1906.06.969

Bull Dance

George Catlin Mandan O-kee-pa Ceremony, 1832, oil on canvas. Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.505

Study for ‘Negro Boy Dancing': The Banjo Player

Thomas Cowperthwaite Eakins, 1877, oil on canvas. National Gallery of Art, Washington, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 1985.64.16

The Jolly Flatboatmen

George Caleb Bingham, 1846, oil on canvas. National Gallery of Art, Washington. Patrons' Permanent Fund. 2015.18.1