Vincent Smarkusz

Undiscovered American Genius in Modern Art

Show at The Hartford Art School 1946

Time: 
1946

The Hartford Art School held its classes in the Avery Memorial building of the Wadsworth Atheneum, the oldest continually operating public art museum in the United States.  The Atheneum in Hartford and the Museum of Modern Art in NYC collaborated on many projects together, including several WWII related programs, during and immediately following the war. James Johnson Sweeney, the director of MoMA at the time, was visiting Hartford when he saw the drawings of Smarkusz on display at the Avery. The complete Hartford Courant article from May 10, 1946, which includes a glowing endorsement of Smarkusz's war drawings from MoMA director Sweeney can be read by clicking HERE.