New York, NY – The great masters of the Modern Movement (which in fact began its life over a century ago, with the sensational appearance of the Fauves in the Paris Salon d’Automne in 1905) retain their allure for a variety of reasons. One of the most important is that they seem to deserve the adjective ’modern’ in two different senses. They are modernist in a generically historical sense yet still seem very much of our own later time. This is not surprising, if we consider that two of their basic aims were, first, to clarify appearances, often reducing these to their most basic forms; and secondly, to communicate emotional states through both form and color. A painting or drawing by one of the great experimental masters of the high modernist epoch nearly always has immediate appeal. We encounter it, and it at once begins to communicate what it has to say. At the same time, however, these are not superficial artists. Everything they did shows how determined they were to break down and remake visual conventions. We respond instinctively to the exuberant energy of their work. Currently on view at Hammer Galleries, and you can enjoy a virtual tour at : http://vtg.virtualtourgallery.com/vtg-0111/