Installation view of exhibition.
Past exhibition

Exhibition: Small-Great Objects: Anni and Josef Albers in the Americas

Small-Great Objects: Anni and Josef Albers in the Americas examines intersections between the art-making and art-collecting strategies of the Alberses, two of the most influential figures of 20th-century modernism. Between 1935 and 1967, the couple made numerous trips to Latin America, namely Mexico and Peru, and amassed a large collection of ancient artworks from the region. The exhibition looks at these objects in depth and considers how Anni and Josef’s collection supported their aesthetic sensibilities and teaching practice. In addition to objects from the ancient Americas, the show gathers together dozens of works that the couple made, including textiles, paintings, works on paper, and rarely studied photographs that Josef took at archaeological sites and museums. Demonstrating the Alberses’ deep and sustained engagement with ancient American art, Small-Great Objects explores a fascinating dimension of the couple’s creative vision.

Lee Boltin, Untitled (Josef Albers Holding West Mexican Figure in front of Homage to the Square: Auriferous), 1958. Gelatin silver print. The Josef and Anni Albers Foundation, Bethany, Conn., 1976.28.923. © Lee Boltin. Photo courtesy the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation

Lee Boltin, Untitled (Anni Albers with Pre-Columbian Head), 1958. Gelatin silver print. The Josef and Anni Albers Foundation, Bethany, Conn., 1976.28.926. © Lee Boltin. Photo courtesy the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation

Views of the Exhibition

Exhibition organized by Jennifer Reynolds-Kaye, the Lewis B. and Dorothy Cullman–Joan Whitney Payson Senior Fellow. Made possible by the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation, the Wolfe Family Exhibition and Publication Fund, and the Art Gallery Exhibition and Publication Fund.

Related Publication

Publication
Small-Great Objects: Anni and Josef Albers in the Americas

Small-Great Objects: Anni and Josef Albers in the Americas

Jennifer Reynolds-Kaye

With an essay by Michael D. Coe