Beyond Abstract Expressionism: MoMA Rethinks the Art of the 1950s
A selection of 79 drawings from the collection recasts the most celebrated decade in American art as less American.
Uche Okeke’s drawing “Design for Iron Work I” (1959) in the show “Degree Zero: Drawing at Midcentury” at the Museum of Modern Art.Credit...Uche Okeke and Skoto Gallery; Museum of Modern Art
May 7, 2021
As exhibitions go, “Degree Zero: Drawing at Midcentury” at the Museum of Modern Art is a relatively modest undertaking. After all, it is simply a show of 79 drawings from the museum’s permanent collection, a kind of potpourri if you will. But it is also an ambitious effort — selected and installed with great care by Samantha Friedman, an associate curator of drawings and prints. You sense a fresh point of view almost as soon as you enter the gallery.