Modern Folk

In the first half of the twentieth century, many artists retreated to the country. They went to escape from the city and for spiritual rejuvenation, but also to engage with the local architecture and art, characterized by simple and spare forms. One critic, in fact, exclaimed, “How these modernists are obsessed by barns!” Modern Folk explores this interest by America’s early modernists in the nation’s colloquial art. Paintings, drawings, and prints by Charles Demuth, Charles Sheeler, and Max Weber are featured alongside the Museum’s rarely seen Shaker furniture.