368:(1968), during his tenure at the museum Rubin organized some of the most important and memorable shows held there, several of which could be classified today as blockbusters (although the term was not then in popular usage to describe museum exhibitions). He made it a habit of installing these shows while circulating around the galleries in a wheelchair (a skiing accident left him partially lame in one leg), directing the placement of work like the conductor of a symphony orchestra, the career to which he had earlier aspired. Because he was a known collector, even before he came to the museum, Rubin made a special effort to befriend the contemporary artists whose work he collected. The most fruitful and enduring relationship was with the American abstract painter
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399:. It was his most controversial exhibition, for critics complained that in the process of comparing examples of African and Oceanic art with modern works influenced by them, the primitive artifacts lost their original meaning and significance. “The notion that you can look at a work of art as pure form strikes me as idiocy,” he explained to the writer
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Late in his career, Rubin said that he had hoped his exhibitions had a meaningful influence on the artists who saw them. “I’m personally most curious about whatever repercussions shows have on artists, and hence, on art history,” he explained. “To the extent that the public gets caught up in them, so
275:. In the mid-1960s, Rubin began writing a book on Dada and Surrealism; upon hearing of this project, Barr invited him to organize a show on the subject for the museum. While preparing that show, Rubin joined the museum's staff as permanent curator. In 1968, he organized and wrote the catalog for
283:, a 525-page survey on the subject, was published by Harry N. Abrams, New York. Throughout his years at the museum, Rubin acquired works with the dedication and passion of a private collector (which he also was). Almost immediately upon being hired by the museum, he persuaded the art dealer
527:, where he acquired rare and exotic trees; from his living room, oversaw their placement in the surrounding landscape—again—like the conductor of a symphony orchestra. After a number of years in declining health, he died there in his Pound Ridge home in 2006 at the age of 78.
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and
Phyllis Hattis (whom he would later marry). In the late 1960s, Rubin purchased land in the south of France not far from where Picasso had lived and began building a home there. It was a palatial estate with an Olympic-sized swimming pool in the village of
535:
Rubin's post at the Museum of Modern Art made him one of the most powerful and influential individuals in the art world of his day, but he eventually realized that it was time for a younger generation to take over, so he retired in 1988, appointing
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191:. There he took an art course with Victor D’Amico, who was also director of education at the Museum of Modern Art. At the time, Rubin was not interested in pursuing a career in the visual arts, for he aspired to become an
287:
and his wife
Harriet to donate their formidable collection of modern art to the museum, one of many collections that he would secure during his twenty-year tenure there. Others include works from the collections of
352:(1951) from his own private collection. Through his position at the museum, he was able to meet and befriend Picasso at his home in the south of France. In 1971, the artist gave him for the museum's collection his
304:, Mary Sisler, Richard S. Zeisler, and others. From collectors such as these, or through direct purchases by the museum, Rubin managed to acquire some of the most important works of art in the museum's collection:
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414:(1996), followed the artist's many attempts to capture the essence of his friends and associates, especially the women and wives who came in and out of his life serving as his models and muses.
384:, a monumental exhibition featuring work from the last decade of the artist's life, the period which most profoundly influenced the modernist evolution in the early years of the 20th Century.
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that he called L’Oubradou, “workshop” in Provençal, because most of his writings were done there during the summer months. Rubin lived in New York City, but also maintained a residence in
410:(1989), attempted to analyze the intimate and complex interchange between the work of these two artists during the critical period in which Cubism was formed, and the second,
422:
In the late 1960s, Rubin moved into a large loft on 13th Street and
Broadway in New York City, which he filled with examples of art from the Abstract Expressionist period (
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and, from 1973 to 1988, he served as director of the
Painting and Sculpture Department. He played a key role in building MoMA's collection, in particular acquiring work of
264:
271:, founding director of the Museum of Modern Art, who invited him to lecture at the museum and eventually to serve as curator of a show on the surrealist painter
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in 1984) his chosen successor. Varnedoe died of cancer at the age of fifty-seven in 2003, and the position was eventually filled by three separate curators.
356:(1914), an iconic metal and wire sculpture and, over the years, Rubin was instrumental in acquiring many other important works by the artist for the museum.
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135:(August 11, 1927 – January 22, 2006) was an American art scholar, a distinguished curator, critic, collector, art historian and teacher of
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498:, etc.). Here Rubin organized gatherings of artists, art historians, dealers and critics, one memorable photograph taken in 1967 records him speaking to
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Pablo
Picasso – A Retrospective – The Museum of Modern Art, New York (May 22 – Sept. 16, 1980)
391:(1980), a show that filled the entire museum with a comprehensive survey of the artist's seventy-five year career. This was followed with
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372:, for whom he organized two comprehensive exhibitions, one in 1970 and another in 1987. In conjunction with the American art historians
199:, ostensibly to study music. His studies were interrupted by a stint in the army. While stationed in Rome, Italy, he played the
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779:, New York, 1957, in Painting and Drawing from the William Louis-Dreyfus Foundation, Fairfield University Art Museum, 2016
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In the late 1970s, the museum was scheduled to close for a major renovation, so Rubin seized the opportunity to present
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158:, and organized many groundbreaking exhibitions (see below). His younger brother Lawrence Rubin (1933-2018) was an
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merchant who owned several factories. Rubin was educated in public schools in
Brooklyn before the family moved to
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A Curator's Quest: Building the
Collection of Painting and Sculpture of the Museum of Modern Art 1967-1988
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in the French Alps with an interior that was decorated by modern artists in the years after World War II:
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for a year before returning to
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Rubin's last two major exhibitions at the museum were devoted to
Picasso. The first,
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Kathleen Gilje: Curators, Critics and
Connoisseurs of Modern and Contemporary Art
466:, as well as paintings and sculpture by a select number of contemporary artists (
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403:. “If the work comes at you, it comes with everything it’s got, all at once.”
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Primitivism in Twentieth-Century Art: Affinity of the Tribal and the Modern
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Primitivism in Twentieth-Century Art: Affinity of the Tribal and the Modern
989:"William Rubin, 78; Painting, Sculpture Curator at N.Y. Modern Art Museum"
211:. There he enrolled in classes taught by the distinguished art historian,
207:. When the war ended, he returned to New York and resumed his studies at
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48:
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Rubin, William Stanley; Seckel, Hélène Seckel; Cousins, Judith (1995).
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in the guise of Picasso, as he appeared in a photographic portrait by
916:(New York: Overlook Duckworth, 2001), introduction. See also his
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People associated with the Museum of Modern Art (New York City)
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for the Museum of Modern Art and, in the same year, Rubin's
179:, New York, the eldest of three children. His father was a
976:"William Rubin, 78, Curator Who Transformed MoMA, Dies"
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Picasso in the Collection of the Museum of Modern Art
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Picasso in the Collection of the Museum of Modern Art
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Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni
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395:(1984), which he organized with the art historian
265:Hunter College of the City University of New York
929:Quoted in Calvin Tomkins, “Sharpening the Eye,”
195:. Upon graduation from high school, he went to
958:(New York: Francis M. Naumann Fine Art, 2006).
348:(1950). He even gave the museum David Smith's
259:In 1952, Rubin began teaching art history at
247:and literature. He studied musicology at the
8:
594:(New York: Columbia University Press, 1961)
877:(New York: Columbia University Press, 1961.
569:In 2005, Rubin was depicted by the artist
20:
267:. In the mid-1950s, he was introduced to
875:Modern Sacred Art and the Church of Assy
592:Modern Sacred Art and the Church of Assy
920:(New York: Museum of Modern Art, 1971).
855:
642:(New York: Museum of Modern Art, 1996)
636:(New York: Museum of Modern Art, 1989)
624:(New York: Museum of Modern Art, 1980)
618:(New York: Museum of Modern Art, 1978)
612:(New York: Museum of Modern Art, 1976)
606:(New York: Museum of Modern Art, 1971)
588:(New York: Museum of Modern Art, 1957)
296:, Wolfgang and Florene May Schoenborn,
844:List of people from Brooklyn, New York
630:(New York: Museum of Modern Art, 1984
726:Picasso and Braque: Pioneering Cubism
634:Picasso and Braque: Pioneering Cubism
408:Picasso and Braque: Pioneering Cubism
7:
689:; Rubin, William S.; Fluegel, Jane;
243:in 1949 with a bachelor's degree in
839:List of historians by area of study
366:Dada, Surrealism and their Heritage
277:Dada, Surrealism and Their Heritage
239:, and others. Rubin graduated from
1107:20th-century American male writers
1097:Columbia College (New York) alumni
1062:21st-century American male writers
600:(New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1968)
14:
1087:People from Pound Ridge, New York
1052:American male non-fiction writers
777:Cremonini, Timeless monumentality
1102:Historians from New York (state)
1057:21st-century American historians
1047:20th-century American historians
818:
804:
790:
661:This literature-related list is
653:
540:(with whom he had organized the
1001:). Retrieved February 8, 2012.
142:From 1968 to 1988, Rubin was a
1010:Britannica Online Encyclopedia
984:. Retrieved February 8, 2012.
772:. Frank Stella 1970-1987 MOMA
622:Pablo Picasso: A Retrospective
389:Pablo Picasso: A Retrospective
1:
175:William S. Rubin was born in
1092:People from Riverdale, Bronx
1021:Dictionary of Art Historians
561:Chevalier, Légion d’honneur
514:, Wilder Green, Annalee and
987:Staff (January 26, 2006).
1128:
933:, November 4, 1985, p. 75.
834:Lists of American writers
750:Les Demoiselles d'Avignon
281:Dada & Surrealist Art
712:Rubin, William Stanley;
187:, where he attended the
171:Background and education
148:The Museum of Modern Art
109:The Museum of Modern Art
640:Picasso and Portraiture
598:Dada and Surrealist Art
418:Personal life and death
412:Picasso and Portraiture
380:, in 1978 he organized
892:Columbia College Today
616:CĂ©zanne: The Late Work
382:CĂ©zanne: The Late Work
261:Sarah Lawrence College
162:in NYC and in Europe.
156:abstract expressionism
1082:People from Manhattan
1077:Writers from Brooklyn
1067:American art curators
974:(January 24, 2006).
575:Henri Cartier-Bresson
525:Pound Ridge, New York
492:George Segal (artist)
133:William Stanley Rubin
35:William Stanley Rubin
812:New York City portal
755:Museum of Modern Art
730:Museum of Modern Art
722:Museum of Modern Art
699:Museum of Modern Art
691:Museum of Modern Art
667:adding missing items
16:American art curator
753:. New York City:
314:Constantin Brâncuși
249:University of Paris
209:Columbia University
197:Columbia University
193:orchestra conductor
185:Riverdale, New York
88:Columbia University
981:The New York Times
946:, 27 January 2006.
912:William S. Rubin,
873:William S. Rubin,
863:NY Times, obituary
826:Visual arts portal
728:. New York City:
697:. New York City:
665:; you can help by
553:much the better.”
521:Le Plan-de-la-Tour
318:The Endless Column
998:Los Angeles Times
942:“William Rubin,”
767:978-0-87070-162-7
742:978-0-87070-675-2
707:978-0-87070-519-9
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448:Robert Motherwell
444:Willem de Kooning
338:The Swimming Pool
310:The Bicycle Wheel
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334:Memory of Oceana
298:John Hay Whitney
290:William S. Paley
245:Italian language
241:Columbia College
189:Fieldston School
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64:January 22, 2006
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1042:2006 deaths
1037:1927 births
894:. June 2006
759:H.N. Abrams
732:; Boston:
508:Larry Poons
464:David Smith
456:Mark Rothko
428:Franz Kline
374:John Rewald
360:Exhibitions
328:(1944–45),
312:(1913/51),
292:, Nina and
269:Alfred Barr
237:Jean Lurçat
150:located in
99:Art curator
72:Pound Ridge
1031:Categories
850:References
663:incomplete
480:Larry Bell
160:art dealer
137:modern art
95:Occupation
41:1927-08-11
995:(via the
350:Australia
166:Biography
90:(BA, PhD)
84:Education
898:June 28,
784:See also
724:(1989).
693:(1980).
340:(1952),
320:(1918),
201:clarinet
177:Brooklyn
123:Children
105:Employer
76:New York
53:New York
49:Brooklyn
1018:in the
1007:in the
548:Artists
263:and at
181:textile
144:curator
765:
740:
705:
557:Awards
531:Impact
255:Career
115:Spouse
1016:Entry
1005:Entry
586:Matta
581:Books
565:Works
203:in a
900:2021
763:ISBN
738:ISBN
703:ISBN
376:and
61:Died
31:Born
991:.
978:.
701:.
669:.
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