Cracks & Reforms: The 1920s Through the GW Collection

The 1920s emerged as a decade suspended between collapse and reconstruction, an era marked by “cracks and reforms” that ushered in a profound reconfiguration of the visual world. During this period marked by civil transformation and political upheaval, artists, journalists, and makers had opportunities to reconstruct both individual and collective identities. A century later, Cracks & Reforms presents a distinct cross-section of this period, revealing global currents of migration, modernization, and cultural redefinition through the lens of the GW Collection. Students led by Associate Professor Bibiana Obler selected works to study and exhibit, their research eventually leading to unified themes and a catalog designed by Corcoran graphic design students led by professors Sharmila Karamchandani and Aasawari Kulkarni.

Image: Boris Ignatovich (Russian, 1899-1976), Composer Dmitri Shostakovich, from "Ignatovich, Soviet Avant-Garde", 1928, gelatin silver print, 16 H x 20 W in. Gift from the Trustees of the Corcoran Gallery of Art (Gift of Gail & Robert Carlsen in memory of Tom Ryan) (CGA.2004.26.01) © Boris Ignatovich