American Abstract Artists 1937

Here’s a document, a list of names of American Abstract Artists. It looks like someone has taken the time to make their mark on this document, checking off names with a pen, probably to keep track of members or attendees. I imagine the artist carefully running their pen over each name, ensuring each is clear. You can tell by the little ticks who was present, accounted for, or maybe just admired. What do these additions mean? What do they signify? The list feels like a roll call. A moment of connection. An artist has made a group, but now someone else has come along and literally marked it. I’m moved by the intimacy of that gesture, that affirmation. It’s exciting to think about the artist, or artists, who were thinking about abstract art in America, and how their work impacts the art world today.