THE MODERN MOMENT, ART THAT SHAPED THE 20th CENTURY

 

Helicline Fine Art proudly announces the opening of its new exhibition THE MODERN MOMENT, ART THAT SHAPED THE 20th CENTURY, a salute to the ground-breaking artistic movements that defined our last 100 years. The exhibition runs September 10 through November 15 online at Heliclinefineart.com.   The Modern Moment embraces the remarkable diversity of Modernism. Collectors and curators will encounter vibrant cityscapes, powerful industrial scenes, tranquil rural landscapes, expressive abstractions, studies of working men and women, intimate portraits, and observations of everyday life. While each artist approached the modern world through a distinctive visual language, all sought to capture the energy, complexity, and optimism of their time. Daniel Celentano(1902–1980) IdleHours( ca.1930s) 10 3/8 x10inches Oil on masonite signed lower ight   Modernism was not a single movement but a series of artistic innovations that forever changed the way we see the world. The Modern Moment brings together a thoughtfully curated selection of paintings, drawings, prints, and sculpture that celebrates the extraordinary breadth of 20th-century artistic expression.

Adolph Dehn (1895-1968) Central Park (1950) 22 x 30 inches Casein on board Signed and dated lower right

Reginald Marsh (1898-1954) Brooklyn Bridge (1940) 22 x 15 inches Watercolor on paper Signed and dated lower right

Featuring works by both celebrated masters and deserving rediscoveries, the exhibition explores the movements that shaped modern art, including: Art Deco, Vorticism, WPA-era American Scene, abstraction, abstract expressionism, and caricature. Together, these works reveal artists responding to a century defined by social change, and unprecedented technological progress.   "Our offerings have always been guided by curiosity rather than convention," said Helicline Fine Art gallerist Roy Goldberg. "We are grateful to share works by artists whose visions helped define Modernism - whether they became well-known names or have yet to receive the recognition they deserve. This exhibition reflects what inspires us as dealers.”   Artists in the exhibition include: Sybil Andrews, Victor Arnutoff, Arnold Blanch, Rudolf Bauer, Mortimer Borne, Jo Cain, Daniel Celentano, Max Arthur Cohn, Adolph Dehn, Donald Deskey, Seymour Fogel, Henry Martin Gasser, Emil Ganso, Douglas Gorsline, William Gropper, Juanitta Guccione, Mac Harshberger, Bertram Hartman, Al Hirschfeld, John Grabach, Edith Kramer, Michael Loew, Reginald Marsh, Antonio Petruccelli, Hilla Rebay, Rolph Scarlett and Carl Sprinchorn.

Rudolf Bauer (1889-1953) Untitled, (1926) 20 x 24 inches Watercolor and pastel on paper Signed lower right

Anonymous Barbizon-Plaza Hotel Art Deco Panel, (c. 1930) Panel: 50 x 36 1/4 inches Aluminum Verso: 35th floor, #20

"Our exhibitions can be seen exclusively online, giving us the flexibility to present art globally in a more accessible way. We encourage discovery whenever and wherever collectors, curators and advisors are based. For those who wish to experience the artwork in person, works can be viewed by appointment in our Midtown Manhattan space, said gallerist Keith Sherman. Mac Harshberger  Michael Loew

Thomas Hart Benton: A Picture of America in Its Entirety

 

September 9–October 16 Opening reception: Wednesday, September 9, 6–8 PM Our fall season begins with a retrospective exhibition of the work of Thomas Hart Benton, spanning five decades of the artist’s storied career. The exhibition opens in September as part of the gallery’s 25th anniversary program and coincides with the United States Semiquincentennial. This is the first major solo exhibition of Benton’s work in New York in over a decade, following the unveiling of the installation of his iconic mural America Today (1930–31) at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2014. Thomas Hart Benton emerged in the 1930s as the leading figure in the telling of American stories. In this sweeping tribute to one of the most quintessential visual narrators of the American experience, A Picture of America in its Entirety speaks to Benton’s role as a principal storyteller of 20th century American history and as one of the nation’s greatest artists. Benton’s work was distinctly American in its colorful and dynamic representations of people’s everyday lives and labor. Inspired by his wide-ranging and frequent travel across the country, Benton sought to convey what he described as “a picture of America in its entirety.” Request Preview Thomas Hart Benton Self-Portrait, 1974 Inquire Thomas Hart Benton Trail Riders, c. 1964–65 Inquire Thomas Hart Benton Conversation, 1952 Inquire Thomas Hart Benton Study for “The Kentuckian”, 1954 Inquire Learn More Further Reading Thomas Hart Benton: Biography Art historian and Benton scholar Erika Doss surveys the artist’s accomplishments and lasting impact, affirming his place in the history of American modern art. Read More Notes From a Scholar: Thomas Hart Benton’s Sugar Cane Lauren Kroiz, professor and art historian, offers a deep dive into the historical context and nuanced composition of Benton’s 1945 masterwork. Read More Thomas Hart Benton: Chronology A narrative timeline highlighting key moments in the artist’s life and career, from his birth in 1889 to the present. Read More

Pressing Issues: Printmaking as Social Justice in 1930s United States

 

Chazen Museum of Art at the University of Wisconsin–Madison 

Sept. 8-Dec. 13, 2026

Economic disparity, labor unrest, gender inequality, racial violence and fears of rising fascism defined the 1930s — and remain strikingly relevant today. The Chazen Museum of Art at the University of Wisconsin–Madison (UW–Madison) examines artists’ critical commentaries on the injustices plaguing the country during the Great Depression era in “Pressing Issues: Printmaking as Social Justice in 1930s United States.” On view Sept. 8-Dec. 13, the exhibition presents approximately 40 rarely displayed prints from the collection of the Krannert Art Museum, who organized the show, as well as six works from the Chazen’s collection.

During the Great Depression, as the country faced unprecedented economic collapse, visual artists were put to work through relief efforts that aimed to provide living wages and bolster the spirits of the general public. The Federal Art Project One (FAP), established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, provided jobs to visual artists, musicians, actors and writers. The FAP was an arm of the New Deal’s Works Progress Administration (WPA), which employed 8.5 million people between 1935 and 1943. Many artists used the opportunity to depict scenes from everyday life while others used the platform to confront the country’s most urgent social and political crises. “Pressing Issues” foregrounds these artists, featuring works from Ida Abelman, John Stuart Curry, Minnetta Good, Harry Gottlieb, Riva Helfond, Carl G. Hill, Joseph Leboit, Nan Lurie and Herman Volz, among others.

“The artists in ‘Pressing Issues: Printmaking as Social Justice in 1930s United States’ used printmaking as a forceful tool to call out injustices shaping their world,” said Amy Gilman, director of the Chazen Museum of Art and senior director for the arts and media at UW– Madison. “Their work reminds us of the enduring role artists play in confronting oppression and the power of creativity in times of crisis. The Chazen Museum of Art invites visitors to consider

how today’s artists continue to challenge systems of inequality and how art can help us envision a more just and equitable future.”

The exhibition is organized into four thematic sections: fighting for workers’ rights, women at work, condemning racial terror and denouncing fascism. Labor emerged as one of the most prevalent subjects in Depression-era art, often politicized through heroic depictions of male workers or sentimental portrayals of the rewarding value of manual labor. Yet many artists used printmaking to reveal the stark realities behind these narratives, drawing attention to exploitative working conditions — from child labor to the hazardous environments of coal mines and factories — and the daily economic struggles of those barely scraping by. William Gropper’s 1936 lithograph “Sweatshop” captures the bleak, weary faces of factory workers hunched over their machines in a powerful commentary on the exhausting toll of working-class life.

“Child Labor” by Ida Abelman highlights textile production and agriculture as two industries that often relied on child workers in the early 20th century. She visually merges scenes of girls sewing in factories with boys harvesting crops into the shape of a dollar sign, emphasizing how companies profited from underage labor. In 1938, the Fair Labor Standards Act aimed to curb these abuses by regulating youth employment. It banned dangerous work for anyone under 18, limited most jobs for children under 16, introduced a minimum wage of 25 cents per hour and capped the workweek to 44 hours.

Nan Lurie addresses race and unemployment in her surrealist-inspired lithograph “Technological Improvements.” The title refers to new machinery that led to layoffs and fewer job opportunities. The print depicts a line of African American men waiting outside a brick building near a construction site, unaware of a nearby sign that states, “No Help Wanted.” In the background, a giant construction claw appears to eject three ghostlike figures into the back of the formed line, symbolizing workers whose labor is no longer needed.

Prints by Florence Kent, Chet La More and Joseph Leboit portray the struggles of Jewish refugees fleeing Germany, confronting rising fascism and the discrimination they faced amid a period of national isolationism. In “Refugees,” Leboit presents a harrowing scene of people forced to navigate a hostile world without guidance or support. At the center of the print, two women and a child are hunched over, carrying their few possessions as they traverse a desolate landscape of dead trees and destroyed buildings while a fierce wind sweeps around them. The roots of a fallen tree in the foreground seem to trap them, reinforcing the feeling of being both estranged from their homeland and disenfranchised in their new country.

Condemning and exposing the injustices of their time, artists of the tumultuous 1930s boldly used printmaking as a form of protest, commentary and resistance. “Pressing Issues” positions the prints as powerful reminders of the vital role artists play in shaping public consciousness, showcasing art’s ability to document, critique and inspire change.

“Pressing Issues: Printmaking as Social Justice in 1930s United States,” curated by Kathryn Koca Polite, is organized by Krannert Art Museum at the University of Illinois Urbana- Champaign. “Pressing Issues” is sponsored in part by the College of Fine and Applied Arts, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; the International Fine Print Dealers Association Foundation; and the Wyeth Foundation for American Art.

Ida Abelman, “My Father Reminisces,” 1937. Lithograph. Allocated by the US Government. Commissioned through the New Deal art projects, 1943-4-1.

Riva Helfond, “Custom Made,” 1938. Lithograph. Museum Purchase through the Richard M. and Rosann Gelvin Noel Krannert Art Museum Fund, 2020-3-1.

Florence Kent, “Jewish Refugees,” 1935-1943, lithograph, allocated by the US Government, commissioned through the New Deal art projects, 1943-4-210.

Chet La More, “Civilians, ” ca. 1937. Lithograph. Allocated by the US Government, Commissioned through the New Deal art projects, 1943-4-231.

Herman Volz, “Scab,” 1937. Lithograph. Allocated by the US Government, Commissioned through the New Deal art projects, 1943-4-452.

Ida Abelman, “Child Labor,” 1937. Lithograph. Allocated by the US Government, Commissioned through the New Deal art projects, 1943-4-4. Courtesy of Krannert Art Museum.

Harry Gottlieb, “Bootleg Coal Mining,” 1937. Lithograph. Allocated by the US Government, Commissioned through the New Deal art projects, 1943-4-142. Courtesy of Krannert Art Museum.

Nan Lurie, “Technological Improvements,” 1936–1939. Lithograph. Allocated by the US Government, Commissioned through the New Deal art projects, 1943-4-210. Courtesy of Krannert Art Museum.

Boris Gorelick, “Aftermath,” 1938. Lithograph. Allocated by the US Government, Commissioned through the New Deal art projects, 1943-4-21. Courtesy of Krannert Art Museum.

Lloyd Wulf, “Street Scene,” 1935–1943. Lithograph. Allocated by the US Government, Commissioned through the New Deal art projects, 1943-4-484. Courtesy of Krannert Art Museum.

Carl G. Hill, “Newsboy," 1938, lithograph, 11 3/8 x 8 1/8 in., gift of David Prosser, 2021.45.4, Chazen Museum of Art