labels given group american abstract artists open letter written president rejecting museum exhibition accompanying competition subsequent media coverage protest iconic group photograph appeared gave notoriety term abstract established called generation movement emergence emergence abstract art coincided invention paris decade 20th century paris remained centre gravity later art movements like outbreak world war nazi persecution art precipitated mass migration artists performers united_states new_york home avant garde early 1940s particular importance american art american scene painting came seen inadequate mode artistic expression tumultuous time fled europe husband artist opened gallery art century showing european promising american avant garde artists man showed closed gallery venice artists like find new representation opened previous year began representing parsons representing showed parsons gallery started making iconic paintings exhibited breakthrough works arrived distinctive mural sized paintings exhibited time galleries prepared called term samuel gallery charles gallery fledgling galleries financial disaster highest price paid peaked sale painting offered likely lower actual sales prices closed result financial strain critical financial success group come series articles life magazine notably feature article photograph protest january agreement existed coalition combining collections american art new building paid agreement whitney acquired american art metropolitan concentrated acquisitions termed classic art whitney director death august grave concerns advocated abandonment coalition october whitney trustees cited especially regard showing advanced trends art whitney special point withdrew whitney coalition december met announced form january appointed associate curator american painting sculpture head department set advise associate curator members committee chairman highly respected collector noted calling avant garde abstract art july director appointed consultant advice decided met host series open national competitive exhibitions regional today announced statement policy january regional meeting respectively dallas chicago richmond new_york selections submitted national jury composed regional appointment metropolitan studio founded held artists discussions east eighth street manhattan came known studio closed panel took place april organised director purpose framing art movement end closed session suggested assembled artists protest conservative bias jury upcoming competition metropolitan open letter spent better weeks drafting open letter president metropolitan consensus artists mail phone final version sent individual artists sign newman called apartment brooklyn asking come city immediately sign letter sent telegram instead endorsed letter opposing metropolitan museum art stop jackson letter supporting sunday took signed statement city editor new_york_times newman run mayor new_york write candidate knew monday slow news day times statement entitled open letter dated appeared page newman told times critical membership regional especially opposed new_york jury jury awards new_york national jury consisted jury awards included resulting response letter came editorial page editorial attacked artists distortion fact claiming metropolitan contempt modern painting art critic time widely assumed written editorial gave group aided newman drafted signed painters addressed editor published discussed issue open letter june edition nation calling director days later time magazine noted protest article entitled revolt oblique reference taylor comments instead soaring like eagle heavens ancestors contemporary artist reduced status flat intellectual beaches content breast seeking distinguish electrified situation selecting american pavilion 25th held june october june issue referred painters leaders predominant vanguard act signalled art world abstract given consideration museums july group artists issued statement open letter president met defending museum included life photograph life magazine decided publish photo story january edition document results competition feature photograph protesters life initially wanted photograph painters steps metropolitan paintings refused grounds look like trying enter museum rebuffed magazine art editor life sent photographer photograph studio 44th street assembled november original signatories absent special trip session took pictures appeared life insisted group photographed like artists allowed position arrived late seen standing table woman photograph later describe experience probably worst thing happened painter believed allowed insistence art dealer represented group furious sufficiently think presence woman took away seriousness published photograph referred group true group reservations appearing mainstream media publication especially mistaken consequences page spread life august opening november triumph famously heard look big shots jackson finally broken ice ensuing year sent checks totalling gross sales time thirds american families lived year invited sign studio open letter notoriety entirely life article end sitting uncomfortable accommodation system values artists desire career success think loved having pictures taken afraid nice didn want appear commercial legacy subsequent life article provide public image group looking like placed picture larger pictures competition winning art works reiterated word advanced echoing madison avenue advertising speak day picture referred protest keeping avant garde tradition mentioning salon des historian wrote photograph image artists achieved triumph american painting artists discomfort labelled individually group clear end day studio challenged group responded disastrous refused sign times letter clear group noteworthy despite subsequent labels abstract action painters forth picture group group picture individuals unified click camera particular time place relationships deteriorated newman approach idea showing exclusively effectively leaving colleagues fend declined offer following years moved failure fellow artists defend included americans newman new_york engaged public newman resulting newman libel living evil life went love hate years recalled life photograph canonical lists rear dust jacket photograph triumph american painting history abstract published book defined abstract generation scholars
The Irascibles