UC Irvine

So much of the time, the significance of non-artists in making modern art possible is all too rarely acknowledged, and Abby Aldrich Rockefeller is no exception. The crucial role Abby played and the obstacles she overcame are significant, and my research considers the far-reaching impact she had on the institutionalization and legitimization of modern art in New York in the 1920s and 1930s. Without her involvement, New York's premier museum for Post-Impressionist, progressive, and modern art, the Museum of Modern Art, would not have been founded or even succeeded. Abby's efforts were often hampered by both her husband's outright rejection of the art she so loved, as well as by constraints on women in an era in which cultural, societal, economic, and political pursuits were still dominated by men. Thus, Abby's "matronage" - her support of progressive and modern artists, her personal collecting of their work, and her museum building efforts - all contributed to an emancipation, of sorts, from her husband, and from traditional mores of the era.

This project will also consider the important partnerships Abby entered into that facilitated the fulfillment of her vision for MoMA. Particular attention will be paid to gallery owner and collector, Edith Gregor Halpert, as well as to Nelson and David Rockefeller, who ensured their mother's legacy and helped make New York the epicenter for modern art that Abby always hoped it would be.