The Story of the Armory Show

by Milton W. Brown

Looks at the exhibits as well as the personalities involved in the early twentieth-century cultural event

Genres: Art, History, Nonfiction

349 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 1988

Reviews

[Troy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an insanely well-researched book about "The Armory Show" which is one of the most important art exhibitions ever put on, and easily the most influential art exhibition in the United States.

In 1913, the Armory Show introduced the majority of the U.S. to modern art, including the Post-Impressionists like Cezanne, Van Gogh, and Gauguin, the Fauvists, including Matisse, the cubists including Picasso, and countless other now-famous artists.

This book documents, in detail, the creation and effects of the show. It's complete, with a full list of every art work included in the show, a close inspection of the various inter-group struggles, and the reactions by American artists, the press, and the public.

If you're interested in The Armory Show, this book is for you. It's well-written, fascinating, and throws you into the time period, which is still pretty similar.

[Mike Zickar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this history, though I can see why other reviewers found it dry. A couple of reasons that I enjoyed it. First, it's got a lot of historical details in here, including a Catalogue Raisonne of the show that clearly included a lot of poring over primary sources. I am sure there are more readable versions of this this important event in American art history, though I suspect many of them over considerable debt to the original scholarship in this book. Secondly, Brown has a real nice even-handed touch, not falling prey to some easy traps. For example, he doesn't take potshots at critics who lampooned Cubism or Fauvism back in the day, an easy target to pile on.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Artists banded together to organize the Armory Show, and the night it closed, a line dance formed and twisted its way through the galleries, the dancers saluting artists past and present. When the show reached Chicago, idiot Art Institute students protested, hanging a Matisse effigy. The book's not well-written, but it includes lots of great details.

[Kat McKay]

Only read this if you like a dry recount of history. I was looking more for a meaty humanistic telling of the tale. I'm sure the 1st showing of all those artists in the States had to have more exciting things going on behind the scenes!

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great for details, slightly lacking in overall context.