WVU Art Museum: Modern Movement Figurative Works

MODERN MOVEMENT FIGURATIVE WORKS BY ARTHUR BOWEN DAVIES

January 17 - June 30, 2020 | Upper Gallery, Art Museum of WVU

Opening Reception: Saturday, February 8 at 6 p.m. | Museum Education Center

Arthur B. Davies (1862-1928) played a pivotal role in introducing modernism to American
audiences as the primary curator of the groundbreaking 1913 Armory Show in New York City. As an artist himself, Davies was heavily influenced by modern dance, particularly that of Isadora Duncan. While the Armory Show challenged the foundations of traditional visual art, Duncan’s trailblazing approach to what was then called aesthetic barefoot dance transformed the world of theatrical dance. This exhibition not only explores the illusion of movement within Davies’ works but also suggests the wealth of modernist styles and ideas which debuted in the Armory Show.

On loan from the Maier Museum of Art, the exhibition features rarely exhibited works on paper and oil paintings, including Arthur B. Davies Figurative Works on Paper from the Randolph College and Mac Cosgrove-Davies Collections and Arthur B. Davies Paintings from the Randolph College Collection.