On view through Sept. 3 at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, “Modern Times: American Art 1910–1950” presents a thoughtfully curated selection of American modernist work. The show highlights paintings and works on paper by artists such as Georgia O’Keeffe, Arthur Dove, John Marin, Arthur Beecher Carles, Henry Breckenridge and Marsden Hartley, among others. With more than 160 pieces on display—many drawn from the museum’s own holdings—the exhibition examines how rapid technological and mechanical change shaped artists’ responses to life in America during the first half of the twentieth century.
The installation emphasizes the variety of artistic strategies used to confront modern life, from abstraction and formal experimentation to new approaches to landscape, portraiture and still life. Visitors will see how artists translated the rhythms of industry, transportation and urban growth into new visual languages, and how personal experience and regional identity intersected with broader cultural shifts.
The exhibition is accompanied by a new publication by Jessica Todd Smith, American Modernism: Highlights from the Philadelphia Museum of Art, produced by the Philadelphia Museum of Art in association with Yale University Press. The 272-page volume features 120 color plates and 10 black-and-white illustrations, offering additional context and close-looking essays on many of the works in the galleries.
The Modern Times galleries are located on the first floor of the Dorrance Special Exhibition Galleries. The layout and presentation are designed to guide visitors through chronological and thematic threads, enabling both newcomers and longtime museumgoers to trace the evolution of American modernism from 1910 to 1950.
Practical information about hours, ticketing and visitor services is available from the museum; the exhibition remains on view through Sept. 3. Whether you are interested in the major names of the period or in lesser-known experiments in form and subject, Modern Times offers a comprehensive look at how artists responded to a rapidly changing world.