Alfred H. Barr Jr. (1902-1981), the inaugural Director of the Museum of Modern Art, created the influential Barr Diagram, an iconographic flowchart outlining his interpretation of the chronology of modern art. Initially featured on the dust cover of a catalogue for the 1936 MoMA exhibition Cubism and Abstract Art, curated by Barr himself, this Diagram significantly shapes our understanding of European Modernism. Despite its historical significance, the Diagram is not without its inaccuracies and occasionally problematic terminology. These aspects form the foundation of Clay Ketter's seminal 2022 work, 'Modernism Transcended’.
Following previous artists' footsteps, Clay Ketter critically examines the Barr Diagram's origins. In contrast to Steve Wolfe, who created an enlarged replica of the original chart, or Hank Willis Thomas's post-colonial reinterpretation, Ketter adopts a minimalist approach, stripping all contextual elements from the work. His technique involves painting over the diagram with white oil paint meticulously layered over a sheet of transparent acrylic. This acrylic layer acts as a buffer between the photographic reproduction of the original diagram and Ketter's painted surface. The elusive space created by the transparent acrylic draws a glimpse behind the veil of paint.
By editing the Barr Diagram, Ketter reveals its basic framework, evoking nostalgia for a time when European perspectives largely shaped, dominated and seemingly originated Modernity. The original use of red and black, symbolic colours of modernity, chronologically emphasising critical moments in the diagram, suggests a near-fundamentalist methodology. Ketter playfully subverts this rigidity by incorporating the letter 'O' from the original chart and circular motifs into his work. These elements, resonating with the diagram’s underlying graphical structure, infuse the piece with an almost cartoonish quality. In preserving some of the most fundamental characteristics of the diagram while painting over the finer details, Ketter addresses the irony of attempting to subvert cultural systems while maintaining its fundamental infrastructure. For example, in the left and right margins of the piece, a smattering of 0s and 1s appear. These numbers represent the original timeline written on the sides of the Barr Diagram, but the seemingly random obfuscation of these years muddy Ketter’s commentary on Barr’s exclusive narrative. Without an explanation of this selectivity, the diagram remains mystified.
Further, the original diagram is already foreign to those without an art historical background. Ketter’s updated diagram is even more estranged from the general public without contextual evidence of names and dates. The so-called insiders immediately recognise it, and those who do not are left out, drawing attention to the exclusionary nature of the diagram.
It's important to note that in 2012, MoMA revisited the themes of the 1936 exhibition in a show entitled Inventing Abstraction. On this occasion, the Museum published a map that echoes Barr’s original diagram yet came to plot more recent developments and aimed to reveal personal connections between the protagonists of various coincidental Modernist movements. ‘Modernism Transcended’ similarly echoes MoMA’s revisionist attitude toward the Barr Diagram.
Clay Ketter's 'Transcended' series, which features paintings inspired by various conspiratorial diagrams laden with pseudo-scientific ideas, antisemitic notions, or fantastical intergalactic concepts, finds an exception in 'Modernism Transcended’. This piece stands apart, focusing on art-historical developments instead of shadowy societal forces. Despite its use of outdated colonial terms, the original diagram in 'Modernism Transcended' provides a clearer understanding of recent art-historical trends. In contrast to the series' usual themes, Barr's Diagram strives to demystify, rather than complicate, the narrative of the modernist movement.
Conspiracy theorists often use diagrams to create a veneer of scientific legitimacy, as we explored in our previous interview with Clay Ketter, typically complicating the connections between unrelated actors using mythical geometric shapes like pyramids to support their outlandish theories. In stark contrast, Alfred H. Barr Jr. prioritised simplification in developing his Diagram. Glenn Lowry, MoMA's current Director, delved into Barr's notes and sketches, uncovering the extensive revisions and iterations Barr undertook. This research reveals Barr's efforts to distil his diagram to its essence, ultimately achieving what appears to be the most straightforward representation.
Simplification, however, is often overdone, and Barr’s distillation of Modernism resulted in exclusion, reduction and contestation. Ironically, Ketter’s even more distilled diagram opens up an opportunity for unfiltered dialogue. In response, artists, historians and novices alike are encouraged to fill in the gaps of what were once words or dates. To this end, Ketter completes some open arcs that previously nestled art historical terms with a deliberately thinner line to compose full circles. Ketter’s added lines effectively illustrate the delicate overlapping between movements and collaborative historical narratives while nodding at the original simplicity of the Barr Diagram and introducing a cartoon-like element to the work.
Ketter's selective editing of the Barr Diagram has given birth to a new icon, emblematic of an era fixated on the art of editing. In my experience, few artworks have so incisively exposed the peculiarities of our contemporary dialogue. 'Modernism Transcended' is both thoroughly modern in its use of digital image reproduction and deeply rooted in the traditional art of painting, especially in the application of oil paint. Unlike its predecessor, this work will undoubtedly stand the test of time.
