"By far, my favorite part of Picasso and the Avant-Garde was the room about cubism in the French Salon. In case you don't remember, this room was a bit larger than most and painted terra cotta red.
What made it stand out, apart from the color, was the relation between the layout of the gallery and actual Salon exhibits from the 19th and 20th centuries. Neither Picasso nor Braque participated in the Salon, leaving the public introduction to cubism up to their contemporaries, who receive an excellent introduction here.
This room is filled with many artists who were influenced by Picasso and Braque and who exhibited in the 1911 Salon des Indépendents. This group includes Fernand Léger, Albert Gleizes, Jean Metzinger, and others. The collection of paintings is placed at varying heights around the large gallery. I loved the use of Salon exhibition style, which always crowded as many works as possible into a given space. Perhaps the best connection between the Salon and the PMA exhibit was the inclusion of a photo from the 1911 Salon, reflecting the connection between display styles of the two rooms. In both the gallery and the photo I noticed the same Amedeo Modigliani statue, bringing the Salon to life and creating a visible connection to the past.
If you have visited Picasso, but didn’t spend much time in this room, I would urge you to go back! There is a charming pouf by Virgil Marti in the center of the room where you can casually take in the many sculptures and paintings the PMA has to offer. This room stands out from the rest of the exhibit and brings the early 20th century art world to life."
Photo credit: Salon Cubism Gallery, 2010. Constance Mensh; Head of a Woman, 1912. Amedeo Modigliani. Philadelphia Museum of Art, Gift of Mrs. Maurice J. Speiser in memory of her husband, 1950.
