Timeline · 1940–1949
The 1940s (1940–1949) fall within Modernism's restless succession of movements, from Fauvism to abstraction. Across these years the gallery holds 2,954 public-domain artworks, with Social Realism the decade's dominant movement (199 works) and Carven among its most prolific hands.
The Cathedrals of Art 1942 
Untitled 1949 
Lobster Fishermen 1940 
Self-Portrait 1944 
Nighthawks 1942 
Docks on Sunday 1941 
Victorian Interior II 1945 
The Seine at Vernon 1947 
View from a Balcony 1945 
The Great Renunciation of Siddhartha 1949 
Victorian Interior I 1945 
The Inn 1942 
Landscape in the South (Le Cannet) 1947 
Pink Bouquet 1947 
Waterfront 1940 
Holy Mountain IV 1946 
Scene from the Ramayana 1949 
White Lines 1941 
Asleep 1943 
Untitled 1940 
January 1940 
Untitled 1940 
The Harbor 1943 
14th Street Theatre 1940 Looking for named art-historical periods instead? Browse periods.
On March 17, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt accepted the completed National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., on behalf of the American people. The museum arose from…
The opening established one of the United States' central public art institutions and encouraged major private collectors to give…
What else happened that dayPeggy Guggenheim's Exhibition by 31 Women opened on January 5, 1943 at Art of This Century, her Frederick Kiesler-designed New York gallery. Conceived with Marcel Duchamp and…
It became a touchstone for later histories of women artists and feminist exhibition-making.
What else happened that dayThe Museum of Modern Art opened Indian Art of the United States, a large survey organized by the Indian Arts and Crafts Board with Rene d'Harnoncourt, Frederic H. Douglas, and…
It helped make Native American art visible within major modern-art museum discourse.
What else happened that dayOn January 14, 1947, Jackson Pollock's fourth solo exhibition opened in the Daylight Gallery of Peggy Guggenheim's Art of This Century in Manhattan. The date falls at a hinge…
The show marked Pollock's final Guggenheim-gallery phase just before the breakthrough drip paintings.
What else happened that dayWestinghouse Electric scheduled J. Howard Miller's morale poster "We Can Do It!" to begin a two-week factory display run on Monday, February 15, 1943. The poster was made for the…
A narrowly targeted factory poster became one of the twentieth century's most recognizable political images.
What else happened that dayOn February 6, 1940, the San Francisco Museum of Art opened Twentieth Century German Art (Banned), an exhibition explicitly framed around modern art suppressed by Nazi cultural…
The exhibition helped position modern art as a cultural casualty of fascism and a cause for American museum advocacy.
What else happened that dayThe First Exhibition of Works by Leningrad Artists during the Great Patriotic War opened at the Leningrad Union of Artists during the siege's catastrophic first winter. The…
The exhibition became a touchstone for the wartime identity and historical memory of Leningrad artists.
What else happened that dayPierre Bonnard, a French painter and printmaker, was known for his stylized and decorative paintings with bold use of color. As a founding member of Les Nabis, his work…
Bonnard's innovative style and contribution to the development of Modernism continue to influence artists today.
What else happened that dayMaurice Denis was a French painter, decorative artist, and writer who played a significant role in late 19th-century European art, associated with Les Nabis, Symbolism, and…
Maurice Denis' innovative ideas and artistic contributions continue to shape the course of modern art.
What else happened that dayGrant Wood, a prominent American artist, passed away on February 12, 1942. He was a key figure in the Regionalist movement, capturing the essence of the rural American Midwest in…
Grant Wood's legacy continues to influence American art and culture with his enduring and iconic representations of the Midwest.
What else happened that dayWilliam McGregor Paxton was an American painter and instructor who worked within the Boston School style, known for his portraits and interior scenes, often featuring women,…
Paxton's work continues to be represented in many museums across the United States, showcasing his enduring contribution to American art.
What else happened that dayCarlos Baca-Flor, an artist born in Islay in 1869, is notable for his portraits such as The Honorable Joseph Hodges Choate and J. Pierpont Morgan, showcasing his skill in…
Carlos Baca-Flor's legacy lies in his contributions to portrait art, leaving behind a collection of notable works that continue to be…
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