Modern-age spirituality at the heart of Wolfsonian’s upcoming exhibit

This October, The Wolfsonian–FIU examines cultural responses to spiritual crises of the modern age in The Pursuit of Abstraction, an exhibition of works by early twentieth-century artists searching for meaning beyond the boundaries of scientific reasoning and rationality.

Drawn from the museum’s permanent collection, The Jeri L. Wolfson Collection, and The Mitchell Wolfson, Jr. Collection of Decorative and Propaganda Arts Promised Gift, the exhibition features paintings, prints, sculpture, and decorative art—including one of the few theater curtains ever created by renowned German expressionist Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, innovatively displayed for a full front-and-back view of the over-painted canvas to reveal two different moments in the life of the work.

The Pursuit of Abstraction will be on view from Oct. 7, 2016 through April 16, 2017, and paired with an online content platform with images, essays, and other supplementary material.

“As modernization eroded mysticism, artists experimented with new forms of expression to reintroduce mystery into everyday life,” explained Wolfsonian curator Matthew Abess, who organized the exhibition. “This spiritual counterculture sought to reenchant the world by way of aesthetic experience.”

Roughly 80 objects will be on view for The Pursuit of Abstraction, which debuts at the Wolfsonian on Oct. 7, 2016.

Focusing on works produced between 1900 and 1950, the exhibition takes a close look at North American and European artists that turned to abstract thought, feeling and form as counterpoints to the concrete realities and alienation of modern life.

As the world around them became increasingly secular and urbanized, these makers imagined new expressions of spiritual awareness that drew inspiration from a wide variety of sources: philosophy, mythology, psychology, poetry and ideologies ranging from established religious doctrines (Christianity and Buddhism) to newer, lesser-known schools of thought (Theosophy and Anthroposophy).

Despite this diversity, common threads are found in an emphasis on transformation, allusion to forces within and forces beyond, and the depiction of otherworldly figures.

“It is commonly said, ‘art feeds the soul.’ This peek inside the vaults of The Wolfsonian and the unique collections of Jeri and Micky Wolfson provides a feast for viewers, inviting them on a journey into an abstracted world of feeling and sensation, color and light,” said Wolfsonian Director Tim Rodgers.

For more information on the upcoming exhibit, click here.