Gertrude Stein in her Paris studio, 1930 (Library of Congress)
Long before modern art found its home in museums, it thrived in salons, collections, and networks cultivated by women. From Parisian-inspired gatherings in Italy to avant-garde circles in early 20th-century New York, these women nurtured artists, championed emerging talent, and shaped the tastes that defined modern culture. Art historian Jennie Hirsh highlights salonnières and patrons whose influence extended far beyond the studio or gallery. Through intimate gatherings, strategic collecting, and institution-building, they forged spaces where innovation flourished, leaving a lasting mark on the art world.
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The Women of New York, Part II
The foundations of New York’s modern art institutions were shaped by Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, Lillie P. Bliss, and Peggy Guggenheim. Rockefeller, a philanthropist, collector, and social advocate, co-founded the Museum of Modern Art with Bliss and Mary Quinn Sullivan, bringing modern European and American art to a broad public. Bliss, a pioneering collector and connoisseur, guided MoMA’s early acquisitions with her discerning eye for the avant-garde. Guggenheim expanded Manhattan’s artistic horizons with her gallery Art of This Century (1942–1947) and, prior to that, briefly touched London’s gallery scene with Guggenheim Jeune (1939), promoting experimental artists long before establishing her now celebrated museum collection in Venice.
Additional Sessions of the Salon Societies Series
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