New York Armory Show of 1913

by Carrie Altom

In lieu of the “rut” that American painters found themselves in during the early 1800’s, the Association of American Painters and Sculptors (AAPS) was formed. Held in the 69th Regiment Armory building in New York City in 1913, painters such as Walt Kuhn (1877-1949), Arthur B. Davis (1862-1928), and Walter Pach (1883-1958), organized the largest “International Exhibition of Modern Art” packing the building with “more than 4,000” guest from all over the world. The art of the exhibition expressed qualities of symbolism, Impressionism, Post Impressionism, and Cubism, by artist like Cezanne and Picasso. The history making event abandoned the ideal of the realistic era where everything was restricted to ideal forms, harmony, and nature to rely on more “modern visions of insightful perception”. The rooms of the 69th Regiment Armory building contained “1250 paintings and, sculptures, and decorative works by over 300 European and American Artists” of this new modern movement. The 1913 Armory Show was credited for the rapid growth of modern art in the United States during the early 20th century.