George Grosz, “New York Skyline, 1936” watercolor, 18” x 14”
George Grosz, “New York Skyline, 1936” watercolor, 18” x 14”

“Art in the Twentieth Century” opens at the Wiscasset Bay Gallery in Wiscasset, Maine on July 8th and will continue through August 4th. The exhibition explores the pluralistic nature of the art world in the twentieth century, with developing styles ranging from cubism, expressionism, realism and abstraction.

Of particular note is a work by German-American artist George Grosz (1893-1959) executed in New York in 1936. Grosz was born in Berlin, Germany in 1893. He became an important member of the Dada movement and openly rejected the rising German nationalism during the nineteen teens. The Dadaists sought to escape the rationalism and logic that they believed lead to World War I. Bringing an experimental, playful and even irrational approach to art Grosz and the Dadaists sought a return to our child-like nature. After Grosz emigrated with his family to New York in 1933 because of his strong anti-Nazi sentiments, he became a teacher at the Art Students League. A few years later Grosz painted “New York Skyline” in his loose, ethereal style with calligraphic marks accenting the tugboat and Manhattan skyline.

Andrew Winter, “Morning After the Storm,” oil on canvas, 30” x 40”
Andrew Winter, “Morning After the Storm,” oil on canvas, 30” x 40”

Contrasting Grosz’s abstracted, spirited work is Andrew Winter’s (1893-1958) “Morning After the Storm.” Rooted in a clear, realistic style and drawing on a dramatic event, the artist depicts four sailors on a cliff viewing the remains of their ship off the coast of Monhegan Island. Other significant twentieth century paintings and sculpture include a large modernist oil, “Woolwich Ferry Slip,” by John Folinsbee (1892-1972) and a major bronze by William Zorach (1887-1966) of his daughter Dahlov Ipcar entitled “Innocence.” The show also features drawings, watercolors and oils by important international artists such as Paul Guiragossian (Lebanese, 1926-1993), Andre Derain (French, 1880-1954), Marc Sterling (Russian/French, 1895-1976), Victor Vasarely (Hungarian/French, 1906-1997) and Ossip Zadkine (French, 1890-1967).

“Art in the Twentieth Century” will be on display at the Wiscasset Bay Gallery, 67 Main Street, Wiscasset, Maine through August 4th. For further information, call (207) 882-7682 or visit the gallery’s website at www.wiscassetbaygallery.com. The Wiscasset Bay Gallery is open daily from 10:00 am until 6:00 pm and is located at 67 Main Street (Route 1) in historic Wiscasset village.