Prehistoric Pictures and American Modernism: Abstract Art at MoMA 1937-1939

In April 1937, the Museum of Modern Art in New York hosted an exhibition that served as a catalyst for the appropriation of prehistoric rock art in postwar abstract painting. With the title "Prehistoric Rock Pictures in Europe and Africa", it displayed a range of copies from the influential collection of the German ethnologist Leo Frobenius.

Largely disregarded in modern American art history up until now, this book highlights the importance of this exhibition to artists such as Josef Albers,...