Made four years before the end of the apartheid system, Williamson has repurposed a passbook carried by a Black South African for three decades
The Museum of Modern Art
When this portrait of the artist’s friend went on display, it was lampooned by the press. Incomprehensible!
A-Level: Constantin Brancusi, Mlle Pogany
Kirchner’s claustrophobic city scene reflects on a culture where everything is for sale.
A-Level: Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Street, Berlin
Matisse lived with his cut-out pool until his death. See how its conservators are preserving it for future viewers.
Henri Matisse: Conserving The Swimming Pool
Rothko wanted his paintings hung as low as possible, so the viewer could enter the painting.
Mark Rothko (at MoMA)
Serra’s sculpture creates new spaces within the architecture of the room.
Richard Serra, Band
Inspired by a misinterpretation of a Renaissance church in Rome, this sculpture pushed the limits of technology.
Richard Serra, Torqued Ellipse IV
Serra guides you through his sculpture in the garden of MOMA.
Richard Serra, Intersection II
This war machine seemed obsolete before it was finished; Rosenquist explains why he painted it with SpaghettiOs.
James Rosenquist, F-111
Newman called the lines in his paintings “zips.” Learn how they’re made and how they work.
The Painting Techniques of Barnett Newman
What separates Newman’s paintings from what a house painter paints?
Barnett Newman
How does Reinhardt make his “black paintings” with no black at all?
The Painting Techniques of Ad Reinhardt
Be patient! From the depths of Reinhardt’s black canvases, color and shapes emerge.
Ad Reinhardt
Kline’s gallerist broke into his studio and replaced cheap paint with fine art paint—but Kline didn’t thank him.
The Painting Techniques of Franz Kline
Abstract Expressionists are sometimes thought of as solitary figures—Kline wasn’t.
Franz Kline
Radiography and historic photographs helped conservators uncover what this painting looked like before restoration.
Conservation: Jackson Pollock, One: Number 31, 1950
Pollock drew in space with thin, industrially-produced paints over a canvas on the floor—learn how!
Browse Smarthistory images for teaching & learning!
