Construction And Display

Alfred Hamilton Barr,Jr.is a famous American art historian and curator in the twentieth century.His art theories of western modern art and curation concepts produced a significant influence on art history and exhibition history in the mid twentieth century.Barr was the great publicizers of modern art for the American Public,the major catalyst for public-acceptance of modern art in America.From the perspective of art history,he classified various movements in varied periods according to styles and forms of art and demonstrated the whole development genealogy of modern art in light of relations among different schools.Barr's methodology is primarily formalism.While from the point of exhibition practices,the collection system and educational function as well as modern displays of exhibition he applied in Museum of Modern Art,such as"white cube",medium-based departments,etc,of which setting the significance of the museum in the modern context and changing the orientation of traditional museum in many ways.This dissertation sorts out the 'dual-role' Barr played,art historian and director/curator,which on the basis of the clues of two main concept,namely the formalism and curation practice,trying to analyze the narrative mode of modern art regarding history and space constructed by Alfred H.Barr,Jr.