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Anthology 'The Avant-Garde Museum' Examines Artist-Run Institutions from Interwar Period

publication · 2026-04-19

In 2020, Muzeum Sztuki in Łódź published 'The Avant-Garde Museum,' an anthology curated by Jarosław Suchan and Agnieszka Pindera. This work examines four artist-led museum initiatives from the interwar period, commemorating the 90th anniversary of the International Collection of Modern Art in Łódź. It features discussions on Russia's Museums of Artistic Culture (1918-1921), El Lissitzky's Kabinett der Abstrakten (1927), the Société Anonyme project in New York (early 1920s), and the a.r. group's collection in Łódź (1931). The volume includes twelve scholarly essays that contend avant-garde artists significantly influenced the missions of modern art museums. This publication is part of a broader research initiative by Muzeum Sztuki, incorporating archival resources and visuals, which challenges the perception of museums as mere mausoleums.

Key facts

  • The anthology 'The Avant-Garde Museum' was published in 2020 by Muzeum Sztuki in Łódź.
  • It analyzes four artist-run museum projects from 1918-1931 in Russia, Germany, the US, and Poland.
  • The book contains twelve essays by scholars including Maria Gough and Masha Chlenova.
  • It was edited by Jarosław Suchan, director of Muzeum Sztuki, and Agnieszka Pindera, head of its Research Center.
  • The volume marks the 90th anniversary of the International Collection of Modern Art in Łódź, opened in 1931.
  • Projects studied include El Lissitzky's Kabinett der Abstrakten (1927) and Société Anonyme's New York museum plan.
  • Essays argue avant-garde artists shaped modern museum theory during post-WWI crises.
  • The publication is part of a broader Muzeum Sztuki research project concluding with a fall 2021 exhibition.

Entities

Artists

  • Agnieszka Pindera
  • Jarosław Suchan
  • Karolina Łabowicz-Dymanus
  • El Lissitzky
  • Władysław Strzemiński
  • Katarzyna Kobro
  • Fernand Leger
  • Max Ernst
  • Hans Arp
  • Sophie Taeuber-Arp
  • Theo van Doesburg
  • Wassily Kandinsky
  • Kazimir Malevich
  • Vladimir Tatlin
  • Aleksandr Rodchenko
  • Marcel Duchamp
  • Man Ray
  • Katherine Dreier
  • Alfred H. Barr Jr.
  • Marian Minich
  • Maria Gough
  • Masha Chlenova
  • Sandra Karina Löschke
  • Rebecca Uchill
  • Frauke V. Josenhans
  • Julian Myers
  • Joanna Szupińska
  • Jennifer R. Gross
  • Daniel Muzyczuk
  • Tomasz Załuski
  • Marcin Szeląg
  • Alexander Dorner

Institutions

  • Muzeum Sztuki
  • Museums of Artistic Culture
  • Provinzialmuseum Hanover
  • Société Anonyme, Inc.
  • Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) New York
  • Polish Academy of Sciences
  • Institute of Art
  • ARTMargins Online
  • Museum Research Center
  • a.r. group

Locations

  • Łódź
  • Poland
  • Russia
  • Hanover
  • Germany
  • New York
  • United States
  • Moscow
  • Smoleńsk
  • Petrograd

Sources