A New American Sculpture at PMA

A New American Sculpture, 1914-1945: Lachaise, Laurent, Nadelman, and Zorach is the first exhibition to investigate the integral relationships between modernism, classicism, and popular imagery in the interwar sculpture of Gaston Lachaise, Robert Laurent, Elie Nadelman, and William Zorach. The exhibition, co-organized by the Portland Museum of Art and the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, explores how this circle of European-born artists became preeminent figures of modernism in the United States. By juxtaposing their works, A New American Sculpture reveals the confluences of sources—from archaism and European avant-garde art to vernacular traditions and American popular culture—that informed these artists’ novel contributions to the history of sculpture. Assembled from public and private collections, this exhibition of approximately 60 sculptures and a number of preparatory drawings addresses the remarkable affinities between the oeuvre of four divergent personalities, who redefined sculpture’s expressive potential during the turbulent interbellum period.

The exhibition is on view at the Portland Museum of Art from May 26, 2017 to September 8, 2017. The exhibition has been organized by the Portland Museum of Art, Maine, and the Amon Carter Museum of American Art. For more information visit https://www.portlandmuseum.org/exhibitions/new-american-sculpture-1914-1945