Floor plan

Style galleriesEarly modernism

Early modernism

Artist: Marion H. Beckett, Sitter: Theresa Helburn, Current owner: National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
The Bride, by Gari Melchers, ca. 1907
Large painting, standing man blue turtleneck, sitting woman with white collar.
This print depicts a grayscale desert landscape with a prominent saguaro cactus to the left. In the background, rocky mountains are visible in the darkness. The sky shows a crescent moon and a bright star through an opening in the soft gray clouds. Sparse desert vegetation is faintly visible on the ground, and more cacti can be seen in the distance.
Rhine at the Lurlei, by George Elbert Burr, 1900
Self-Portrait, by Abbott Handerson Thayer, 1920
In the Cascade Mountains, by Edward Bruce, 1931

The works in this room are listed below.

Works in this room

The first decades of the twentieth century, when artists broke with the academy.

First room, north wall

  1. Artist: Marion H. Beckett, Sitter: Theresa Helburn, Current owner: National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
    Theresa HelburnMarion H. Beckett, 1922Courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
  2. The Bride, by Gari Melchers, ca. 1907
    The BrideGari Melchers, ca. 1907Courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum
  3. Large painting, standing man blue turtleneck, sitting woman with white collar.
    Jacques and Berthe LipchitzAmedeo Modigliani, 1916Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  4. This print depicts a grayscale desert landscape with a prominent saguaro cactus to the left. In the background, rocky mountains are visible in the darkness. The sky shows a crescent moon and a bright star through an opening in the soft gray clouds. Sparse desert vegetation is faintly visible on the ground, and more cacti can be seen in the distance.
    New Moon and Evening StarGeorge Elbert Burr, c. 1932Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington

First room, south wall

  1. Rhine at the Lurlei, by George Elbert Burr, 1900
    Rhine at the LurleiGeorge Elbert Burr, 1900Courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum
  2. Self-Portrait, by Abbott Handerson Thayer, 1920
    Self-PortraitAbbott Handerson Thayer, 1920Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  3. In the Cascade Mountains, by Edward Bruce, 1931
    In the Cascade MountainsEdward Bruce, 1931Courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum

Second room, south wall

  1. Hooded Warblers, study for book Concealing Coloration in the Animal Kingdom, by Gladys Thayer, ca. 1900-1909
    Hooded Warblers, study for book Concealing Coloration in the Animal KingdomGladys Thayer, ca. 1900-1909Courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum
  2. Hillside, by Edward Gay, 1908
    HillsideEdward Gay, 1908Courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum
  3. Golden Star (Chrysogonum virginianum), by Mary Vaux Walcott, 1922
    Golden Star (Chrysogonum virginianum)Mary Vaux Walcott, 1922Courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum
  4. Wrestlers in a Circus, by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, 1909
    Wrestlers in a CircusErnst Ludwig Kirchner, 1909Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art

Second room, north wall

  1. THE TRIUMPH OF UNCLE SAM
    The Triumph of Uncle SamVictor Wilbour, 1917Courtesy of Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
  2. The image shows a landscape drawing with buildings, trees, and a winding path or water feature. The drawing is done in black charcoal on brownish background paper, creating a monochromatic color palette.
    Footpaths and Pavilion in the Dresden Grosser GartenErnst Ludwig Kirchner, c. 1909Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  3. Two Gulls and Cliffs, by Louis M. Eilshemius, ca. 1913-1921
    Two Gulls and CliffsLouis M. Eilshemius, ca. 1913-1921Courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum

Third room, north wall

  1. Artist: Ossip Perelma, Sitter: Frank Brett Noyes, Current owner: National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
    Frank Brett NoyesOssip Perelma, 1917Courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
  2. Study for mosaic in the Wisconsin State Capital "Government and Liberty", by Kenyon Cox, ca. 1912
    Study for mosaic in the Wisconsin State Capital "Government and Liberty"Kenyon Cox, ca. 1912Courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum