See 20th-century artists responding to the explosive impact of nuclear science
The Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris presents an expansive survey of modern art in “The Atomic Age,” examining the profound impact of scientific breakthroughs on public consciousness and artistic expression. Featuring more than 250 pieces from major public and private collections, the show features work from the postwar period by major names including László Moholy-Nagy, Francis Bacon, Salvador Dalí, Lucio Fontana, Pierre Huyghe and Yayoi Kusama. These artists responded in myriad and moving ways to the implications of nuclear power, a story that is explored in paintings, photographs, installations, and previously unseen archival material.
The show is organized into three thematic sections, reflecting on the disintegration of matter, the atomic bomb’s historical legacy, and the creeping nuclearization of the world. It traces early research on radioactivity, through to the devastation of the atomic bomb, and the connections between art, science, and politics.
Image: Charles Bittinger, “Late Stage of Baker,” 1946. Credit: Navy Art Collection, Naval History and Heritage Command
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