Leonce Rosenberg’s Cubism: The Galerie L’Effort Moderne in Interwar Paris

The conventional narrative of modernism has focused on artists and their creations, with Cubism being particularly centered on a group of artists and dealers connected to Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler. Léonce Rosenbergs Cubism challenges this narrative by revealing the movement's artificial nature and advocating for a more inclusive understanding of its development. Rosenberg's Galerie LEffort Moderne in Paris treated artists like Joseph Csáky, Auguste Herbin, Jean Metzinger, Diego Rivera, Gino Severini, and Georges Valmier with the same respect as Pablo Picasso or Georges Braque, making his contribution to the history of Cubism significant. This book combines biography with scholarly analysis and is a must-read for scholars of Cubism and Modernism.

Format: Hardback
Length: 254 pages
Publication date: 19 January 2024
Publisher: Pennsylvania State University Press

The history of modernism has been traditionally narrated as a tale of artists and their creations, alongside the collectors, gallerists, and curators who have supported them. This narrative holds particular significance in the case of Cubism, where the prevailing narrative revolves around a tightly-knit group of artists and agents associated with the dealer Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler. However, Léonce Rosenberg's Cubism challenges this canonical perspective, unveiling its artificial nature and suggesting a broader and more inclusive understanding of Cubism's development.

Kahnweiler's Cubism was characterized by its narrow focus. In contrast, Giovanni Casini's book, Léonce Rosenberg's Cubism, presents a different perspective. Casini reveals that the influential art dealer Léonce Rosenberg purchased virtually any piece that could be labeled as "Cubist" and proposed a radically different understanding of the movement. At Rosenberg's Galerie LEffort Moderne in Paris, artists such as Joseph Csáky, Auguste Herbin, Jean Metzinger, Diego Rivera, Gino Severini, and Georges Valmier were treated with the same level of recognition as Pablo Picasso or Georges Braque.

In this book, Casini delves into Rosenberg's contribution to the history of Cubism, exploring the mechanisms by which artistic movements are manufactured and interpretive paradigms are adopted. Casini skillfully weaves biography with a scholarly analysis, based on extensive archival research. Léonce Rosenberg's Cubism offers a fresh perspective on the history of interwar modernism and serves as the definitive study of a figure who has been unjustly marginalized in the history of art. It is a must-read for scholars interested in Cubism and Modernism.

Weight: 726g
Dimension: 241 x 171 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780271094892