Abstract painting isn’t something Juxtapoz was born with, so to speak. We have had to learn and lean in a bit. As a magazine founded on underground comix and outsider art, abstraction was more in a psychedelic sense than a literal conversation. But we have grown into a bit more abstraction in the last 10 years or so, following a trend of artists who have mastered a combination of figuration with abstraction into something completey original. And, of course, there has been a resurgence in recent years of appreciating the Russian and Italian futurists of the early 20th century, and how those artists looked at the modern world and modern warfare of WWI and began to create work that was an abstracted view of reality. Which begs the question: what was the first abstract painting?
People argue when the first abstract painting was. Dr. Bernard Vere reviews some contenders for the first abstract artist in recorded history. As part of a 5-week summer collaboration between the Sotheby’s Institute of Art and our Jux Saturday School series, this week we get the insight on who were the originators of abstract painting, citing the great Russian artists Natalia Goncharova and Mikhail Larionov, collaborators and companions for more than 60 years, are at the top of the list.
Sotheby’s Institute of Art is the pioneer of art business studies, combining cultural stewardship with art market leadership. For over 50 years, our graduates have made strides in every field of the art world, from auction houses, galleries, and museums to foundations, art fairs, and private collections.
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