The Smithsonian Institution

Art Front
Author(s): Gerald M. Monroe
Source: Archives of American Art Journal, Vol. 13, No. 3 (1973), pp. 13-19
Published by: The Smithsonian Institution
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1557096 .
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13
A r t F r o n t
Ger ald M. Mo n r o e
Dur in g
t he bleak
days
o f t he Gr eat
Depr essio n
t he Ro o sevelt A dmin ist r a-
t io n r eso r t ed t o
lar ge-scale
wo r k-r elief
pr o ject s
as a
par t ial r espo n se
t o t he se-
ver e eco n o mic cr isis. A t r aumat ized
Co n gr ess gave
t he
pr esiden t
a
r elat ively
fr ee han d t o in n o vat e
pr o gr ams
in t he
ho pe
t hat he
might
t ur n t he
eco n o my
ar o un d an d r elieve t he
suffer in g
o f t he
un emplo yed.
On e o f t he mo r e in n o vat ive
-
an d co n t r o ver sial-
pr o gr ams
was mas-
sive
emplo ymen t
o f ar t ist s
by
t he
go v-
er n men t . In an effo r t t o
gain
an d
expan d
go ver n men t pat r o n age,
a
gr o up
o f mili-
t an t ar t ist s fo r med a t r ade un io n o f
pain t er s, sculpt o r s,
an d
pr in t -maker s,
man y
o f who m wer e clo se t o o r in flu-
en ced
by
t he Co mmun ist
Par t y.
The
dy-
n amic,
co lo r ful A r t ist s Un io n so o n be-
came kn o w fo r it s
aggr essive
t act ics-
en gagin g
in mass
picket in g, st r ikes,
an d
sit -in s. F o r t hr ee
year s,
t he un io n
pub-
lished A r t
F r o n t , pr o bably
t he liveliest
ar t
per io dical
o f t he t ime.
In t he fall o f
1934, Hugo
Geller t in -
vit ed Her man
Bar o n ,
who exhibit ed
man y
o f t he
left -win g
ar t ist s in his
A mer ican
Co n t empo r ar y
A r t ist s
galler y,
t o
jo in
t he execut ive bo ar d o f t he A r t ist s
Co mmit t ee o f
A ct io n ,
a lo o se co n feder a-
t io n o f ar t ist s
o r gan ized
t o
pr o t est
t he
dest r uct io n o f t he
Diego
River a mur al at
Ro ckefeller Cen t er which had in cluded
a
po r t r ait
o f Len in .
Subsequen t
t o t he
demo n st r at io n ,
t he ar t ist s decided t o
co n t in ue
wo r kin g
as a
gr o up
t o
agit at e
fo r a
mun icipally-suppo r t ed
but ar t ist -
o per at ed galler y. Geller t ,
well kn o wn as
a
left -win g ar t ist ,
was elect ed
chair man ,
Lio n el Reiss became
secr et ar y,
an d Zo l-
t an Hecht was cho sen as t r easur er . It was
a mo r e o r less
"paper " o r gan izat io n
co n -
t r o lled
by
Geller t who was able t o at t r act
lar ge
n umber s o f ar t ist s t o demo n st r a-
t io n s an d t o so licit t he
suppo r t
o f dis-
t in guished public figur es. Bar o n ,
a fo r mer
wr it er an d edit o r o f t r ade
magazin es,
published
an ar t bullet in un der t he
aegis
o f his
galler y.
He o ffer ed Geller t t he use
o f t he
bullet in ;
Geller t
suggest ed
t o t he
execut ive bo ar d o f t he A r t ist s Un io n t hat
an o fficial
jo ur n al
wo uld be useful t o
bo t h
o r gan izat io n s-t he
bo ar d
agr eed.
The fir st it em o f busin ess at t he
meet in g
was t he select io n o f a n ame fo r
t he
pr o po sed publicat io n .
A ft er sever al
un successful
pr o po sals
t he wo r d "fr o n t "
seemed t o be in t he air . The Russian s
had a
lit er ar y magazin e
called On
Guar d,
an d
Mayako vsky
edit ed a
magazin e
called
Left
F r o n t . New Yo r k ar t ist s wer e
mo r e
likely
t o be familiar wit h t he
o r gan
o f t he
Chicago
Reed
Club,
also kn o wn as
Left
F r o n t an d
published
in 1933 an d
1934. Her b Kr uckman
suggest ed
A r t
F r o n t as t he t it le an d it was
immediat ely
ado pt ed.
A n edit o r ial co mmit t ee was
fo r med wit h Bar o n as
man agin g edit o r ,
an d t he fir st issue was
plan n ed
t o
appear
in t ime t o
publicize
a mass demo n st r a-
t io n t o be held at
Cit y
Hall o n Oct o ber
27,
1934. The r eader s o f A r t F r o n t wer e
assur ed it wo uld be un like
an y
o t her ar t
magazin e:
Wit ho ut o n e
except io n , ho wever ,
t hese
per io dicals suppo r t
o ut wo r n
eco n o mic
co n cept s
as a basis fo r t he
suppo r t
o f ar t which vict imize an d
dest r o y
ar t . The
ur gen t
n eed fo r a
publicat io n
which
speaks
fo r t he ar t -
ist ,
bat t les fo r his eco n o mic
secur it y
an d
guides
him in his ar t ist ic effo r t s
is
self-eviden t .1
The
magazin e
so ld fo r five cen t s a
co py
wit h a
year ly subscr ipt io n
r at e o f
sixt y
cen t s. The in t en t io n
clear ly
was t o
publish mo n t hly,
but t he fir st vo lume o f
seven issues
appear ed in t er mit t en t ly
o ver a
per io d
o f t hir t een mo n t hs
(No -
vember
1934,
an d
Jan uar y, F ebr uar y,
A pr il, May, July,
an d No vember
1935),
pr in t ed
in an
awkwar d,
o ver size eleven -
by-sixt een -in ch fo r mat ,
each issue co n -
sist in g
o f
eight pages.
The
gen er o us
size
o f t he
magazin e
was
appr o pr iat e
fo r
st r eet sales
dur in g demo n st r at io n s;
t he
po st er like
co ver s wer e
br o adly design ed
an d
highly
visible. The
F ebr uar y
1935
issue had sever al
pho t o gr aphs
o f a st r eet
demo n st r at io n in which member s o f t he
A r t ist s Un io n can be seen
hawkin g
A r t
F r o n t .
Dur in g
t he
fo un din g
o f t he
maga-
zin e,
t en sio n s had
develo ped
bet ween
t he A r t ist s Co mmit t ee o f
A ct io n ,
wit h
it s
pr imar ily
pr o fessio n al go als,
an d t he
A r t ist s
Un io n ,
wit h it s
pr imar ily
eco -
n o mic
go als.
The fir st issue was
almo st
exclusively
devo t ed t o
pr o mo t in g
t he
pr o gr ams
o f bo t h
gr o ups,
but t her e was
heat ed debat e abo ut t he even t ual t hr ust
o f t he
magazin e
as well as t he
abilit y
o f
t he t wo
o r gan izat io n s
t o wo r k
t o get her .
The r eso lut io n o f t hese
pr o blems,
r e-
so lved wit h t he assist an ce o f V.
J. Jer o me,
a Co mmun ist
fun ct io n ar y
wit h
r espo n -
sibilit y
in cult ur al
mat t er s, placed
t he
magazin e
un der t he dir ect co n t r o l o f t he
un io n ,
an d t he
split
edit o r ial co mmit t ee
was aban do n ed in favo r o f a
sin gle
edi-
t o r ial bo ar d. The
A pr il
1935 issue de-
clar ed t hat A r t F r o n t was t he "o fficial
publicat io n
o f t he A r t ist s Un io n ." The
co mbin ed
lo go s
o f t he A r t ist s Co mmit -
t ee o f A ct io n an d t he A r t ist s Un io n co n -
t in ued t o
appear
o n t he mast head un t il
December
1936, alt ho ugh
t he
magazin e
had been
t r uly co spo n so r ed o n ly
fo r t he
fir st t wo issues.
The demise o f t he A r t ist s Co mmit -
t ee o f A ct io n did n o t
co mplet ely
r emo ve
co n flict in g
at t it udes
r egar din g
t he
pr o per
r o le fo r t he
publicat io n .
The edit o r ial
bo ar d was in
agr eemen t
o n t he n eed t o
st r ess t he eco n o mic
go als
o f t he
un io n ,
t o
publicize gr ievan ces,
an d t o
r epo r t
act ivit ies r elat ed t o t he
st r uggle
fo r eco -
n o mic an d
pr o fessio n al secur it y.
The
bo ar d disdain ed "t ho se
ar t y magazin es
which
n o r mally ign o r e an yt hin g
o ut side
t he
galler y
wo r ld."
2
Co n flict s ar o se
per -
t ain in g
t o t he ext en t ar t
essays, cr it iques,
an d r eviews wo uld be in cluded.
A lt ho ugh
t he so cial r ealist s wer e in t he vast ma-
jo r it y,
t he en t ir e
r an ge
o f ar t
st yles
exist ed wit hin t he r an k an d file an d t he
leader ship.
The
leader s, highly
mo t ivat ed
by
t heir
po lit ical in vo lvemen t ,
wer e
gen er ally
co mmit t ed t o t he Mar xist do c-
t r in e o f "ar t as
pr o pagan da." They
be-
lieved t he o fficial
publicat io n
o f t he
un io n had a
r espo n sibilit y
t o
guide
it s
member s in t heir r o le as
r evo lut io n ar y
ar t ist s,
an d t her e was
always pr essur e
wit hin t he edit o r ial bo ar d t o
in t er pr et
t hat r o le in t he n ar r o west so cial-r ealist
sen se. The edit o r s an d wr it er s o f A r t
F r o n t wer e co mmit t ed t o so cial
chan ge
an d
co n cemr n ed
abo ut t he co r r ect r o le o f
ar t an d t he ar t ist in a
chan gin g so ciet y;
much o f t he
vit alit y
o f t his
spun ky
lit t le
magazin e
der ived fr o m t he
st r uggle
o f a
min o r it y
o f t he edit o r s t o ext en d t he
r an ge
o f
r evo lut io n ar y
ar t
beyo n d pr o p-
agan da.
In t he A r t ist s Un io n sect io n o f t he
fir st issue o f A r t
F r o n t ,
co n sider able
space
was devo t ed t o a
pr o po sal
fo r a
per -
man en t feder al ar t pr o ject ; it was t o r e-
main a
majo r
edit o r ial t heme an d it was
a r ar e issue t hat did n o t have an edit o r ial
o r an ar t icle
co n cer n in g
t he
plan .
St uar t Davis fun ct io n ed as edit o r -in -
chief fo r t he seco n d
t hr o ugh
t he t en t h
issue, alt ho ugh
t he mast head did n o t in -
dicat e an edit o r ial bo ar d un t il t he sev-
en t h
issue,
o r an edit o r -in -chief un t il t he
eight h
issue. Davis was able t o main t ain
a clo se
per so n al r elat io n ship
wit h
Hugo
Geller t an d t he so cial r ealist s o n t he
bo ar d,
while
en co ur agin g
a mo r e
o pen
at t it ude t o war d ar t co n t en t in t he
maga-
zin e.
He asked
Jo hn
Gr aham t o r eview
Eight
Mo des
o f
Mo dem
Pain t in g
at t he
Julien Levy Galler y
an d
Davis, himself,
Ger ald M. Mo n r o e t eaches
pain t in g
an d
dr awin g
at
Glassbo r o St at e
Co llege
an d is a 1973
r ecipien t
o f a
F ello wship
fr o m t he Nat io n al En do wmen t fo r t he
Human it ies t o
st udy
t he in fluen ce o f
left -win g po -
lit ical act ivit ies in t he visual ar t s
dur in g
t he 1930s.
14
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15
r eviewed
favo r ably
t he
pain t in g by
Sal-
vado r e Dali at t he same
galler y.
Clar en ce
Wein st o ck, wr it er ,
bo ar d
member ,
an d lat er
man agin g edit o r ,
jo in ed
A r t F r o n t when t he seco n d issue
was
bein g pr epar ed. Wein st o ck,
an ex-
pat r iat e
ar t st uden t in
Par is, gave up
his
st udies fo r a life o f in t ellect ual bo hemi-
an ism,
an d became a Mar xist
lit er ar y
an d ar t cr it ic. A
gift ed
wr it er an d a de-
vo ut
Co mmun ist ,
he became edit o r o f
Masses an d Main st r eam aft er Wo r ld War
II, usin g
t he n ame Char les Humbo let .
On Oct o ber
27, 1934,
t he
day
o f t he ar t -
ist s'
lar ge
demo n st r at io n at
Cit y Hall,
Wein st o ck r et ur n ed t o t he Un it ed St at es.
St r o llin g
t he st r eet s o f lo wer
Man hat t an ,
he wan der ed in t o t he
demo n st r at io n ,
met so me o f t he ar t ist s he had kn o wn in
Eur o pe,
an d was
swept
in t o t he act ivit ies
o f t he
day. Lear n in g
abo ut A r t F r o n t , he
immediat ely
vo lun t eer ed t o
help
an d
so o n became t he
magazin e's
mo st act ive
co n t r ibut o r .
Pr o bably
n o o n e
en jo yed wo r kin g
o n
A r t F r o n t as much as
Wein st o ck;
he was
co mplet ely
devo t ed t o it .
No t hin g
de-
light ed
him mo r e t han
cr o ssin g lit er ar y
swo r ds wit h o t her cr it ics an d he main -
t ain ed
a vo lumin o us
co r r espo n den ce
wit h Mar xist cr it ics in t his co un t r y an d
in
Eur o pe,
man y o f who m wer e in duced
by
him t o co n t r ibut e ar t icles t o t he
mag-
azin e. In t he
F ebr uar y
issue o f A r t F r o n t ,
Wein st o ck at t acked St uar t Davis' favo r -
able r eview o f
Dali, char gin g
t he Sur r eal-
ist wit h
bein g
mer ely
a
"so phist icat ed
illust r at o r ."
Dali's
pain t in gs, acco r din g
t o
Wein st o ck,
wer
er e
in t he
r eact io n ar y
t r adit io n t hat was fo r ced t o
psycho lo gi-
cal
po r t r ayal
because "t he fact s o f t he
wo r ld made it ashamed t o sho w it s face
o n
an y
o t her
plan e."
aIn
t he same
issue,
Jer o me Klein ,
who
r egular ly
wr o t e ar t
cr it icism fo r t he New Yo r k Po st , also
at t acked
Dali
an d t he
Sur r ealist s, who ,
bein g "n eur o t ically in capable
o f
givin g
t heir effo r t a
po in t
o f
lever age
in t he r eal
wo r ld,
have
do dged
t he issue o f r evo lu-
t io n ar y
ar t ."
4
The
ar t
st yle
t hat t he edit o r s co uld
agr ee upo n was t he so -called A mer ican
Scen e pain t in g; t hey det est ed it . When
Time magazin e declar ed t hat t he wo r ks
o f Tho mas Beo n
Gr Bn t o
n
Wo o d, Char les
Bur chfield, Regin ald Mar sh, Jo hn St ew-
ar t Cur r y, an d o t her A mer ican Scen e
pain t er s wer e "dest in ed t o t ur n t he t ide
o f ar t ist ic t ast e in t he Un it ed St at es,"
5
A r t F r o n t laun ched an at t ack again st t he
mo vemen t . St uar t Davis char ged t hat
Ben t o n 's "gr o ss car icat ur e o f Negr o es"
was a "t hir d-r at e vaudeville char act er
cliche wit h t he humo r o mit t ed" an d,
co mmen t in g o n t he Ben t o n sell-po r t r ait
o n Time's
co ver ,
Davis
cr uelly added,
"We must at least
give
him cr edit fo r
n o t
makin g an y except io n
in his
gen er al
un der est imat io n o f t he human r ace."
6
A s fo r
Jo hn
St ewar t
Cur r y,
Davis
asks,
"Ho w can a man . . . who
willfully
o r
t hr o ugh ign o r an ce ign o r es
t he disco ver -
ies o f
Mo n et , Seur at ,
Cezan n e an d Pi-
casso an d
pr o ceeds
as
t ho ugh pain t in g
wer e a
jo lly
lar k fo r amat eur s t o be ex-
hibit ed in
co un t y
fair s... be co n sider ed
an asset t o A mer ican ar t ? " 7
In t he same
issue,
Mo ses
So yer
wr o t e
a r eview o f his o wn exhibit io n at Klee-
man n 's Galler ies.
So yer ,
a member o f t he
A r t ist s
Un io n ,
used t he ar t icle t o en do r se
t he
"impo r t an t , ever -gr o win g gr o up
o f
ar t ist s t hat has cho sen t he A mer ican
scen e fo r it s t heme."
So yer
had n o diffi-
cult y den o un cin g "Cubism, F ut ur ism,
Sur r ealism an d all t he o t her ar t ificial
scho o ls o f
pain t in g,"
but he is
apo lo get ic
abo ut t he "lack o f class co n scio usn ess
o n t he
par t
o f Mo ses
So yer ,"
which he
at t r ibut es t o "an
un cer t ain t y
in his o wn
po wer s,
an almo st un co n scio us r eluc-
t an ce t o t ackle such ser io us t hemes."
8
Cur r y's r eply
in t he
A pr il
issue o f
A r t F r o n t
po lit ely
defen ded his
wo r k,
in -
fer r in g
t hat so cial r ealist an d A mer ican
Scen e
co n cept s
wer e n o t so far
apar t ,
an d
dr awin g
a
par allel
bet ween t he "vicio us-
n ess o f life"
po r t r ayed by Jaco b Bur ck,
an
avo wed
Co mmun ist ,
an d t he "subt le
char act er izat io n " o f Tho mas
Ben t o n .9
Ben t o n ,
o n t he o t her
han d, blun t ly
declar ed t hat Davis' mo t ives wer e
plain
-
"n o ver biage
can
disguise
t he
squawks
o f t he defeat ed an d t he
impo t en t ."o 10
He
asked t he edit o r s t o submit t en
quest io n s
t o him an d
give
him
space
in which t o
r espo n d.
Ben t o n 's
r eply
t o t he
quest io n s
appear ed
in t he
A pr il
issue. He made
so me
un co mplimen t ar y
r efer en ces t o
Co mmun ism which t he edit o r s declin ed
t o an swer because t he
magazin e
was
"n o n -po lit ical"
an d n o n -sect ar ian .
Jaco b
Bur ck,
"o n e o f t he
o ut st an din g
r evo lu-
t io n ar y ar t ist s,""
was asked t o
r eply.
Ben t o n co n t in ued t he
co n t r o ver sy
wit h
a
lo n g
let t er in t he
May
A r t F r o n t .
He,
t o o ,
believed in a "bet t er
co n sumpt io n -
pr o duct io n eco n o my"
but
pr efer r ed
t o
"wo r k
pr agmat ically
wit h act ual A mer i-
can fo r ces t o t hat en d
[an d wit h]
demo -
cr at ic
pr o cedur es...
wit ho ut t he n eed o f
ar med fo r ces
in st allin g
an d
pr o t ect in g
a
dict at o r ship
. . .
ho wever idealist ic it s
aims."2
In a let t er t o t he
edit o r ,
A r t
F r o n t edit o r
Jaco b
Kain en
suggest ed,
"If
Ben t o n wan t s a bet t er
so ciet y,
he can
help by bein g
an ar t ist o f t he so cial
r evo lut io n ."
The allian ce
again st
t he A mer ican
Scen e ar t ist s did n o t det er t he so mewhat
mo r e
po lit e
but n o less
lively
debat e be-
t ween Davis an d t he
pr o selyt izer s
o f so -
cial r ealism o n t he
magazin e.
Davis'
in t r o duct io n t o t he
cat alo g
o f t he Whit -
n ey
Museum
exhibit io n ,
A bst r act Pain t -
in g
in A mer ica, an d t he exhibit io n it self
wer e bo t h at t acked
by
Wein st o ck in t he
A pr il
issue. A bst r act
ar t ,
declar ed Wein -
st o ck,
"is fo un ded o n a limit ed defin it io n
o f
pain t in g
. . . F o r m beco mes like so
much
mo n o po ly capit al
in which t he so -
ciet y
o f ar t is
sacr ificed."a13
Davis de-
fen ded abst r act ar t : "In t he mat er ialism
o f abst r act ar t in
gen er al,
is
implicit
a
n egat io n
o f
man y
ideals dear t o t he bo ur -
geo is
hear t ... t he r esult o f a r evo lut io n -
ar y st r uggle
r elat ive t o
bo ur geo is
aca-
demic asso ciat io n s." Davis t hen asks
Wein st o ck n o t t o
equat e
t he "abst r act
t en den cies in
pain t in g
an d t he fascist
t en den cies o f t he A mer ican Scen e scho o l
o f
Ben t o n , et c.,
. . . because
t hey
ar e bo t h
wit hin t he
bo ur geo is
scheme."14
A lt ho ugh
Davis co n t in ued t o wr it e
o ccasio n al ar t icles fo r A r t F r o n t , he n o
lo n ger
did
an y
r eviews o r
ar gued
o n t he
pages
o f
t hemagazin ewit h
t he advo cat es
o f t he
gen er al t heo r y
o f dialect al mat er i-
alism. He wr o t e a
spir it ed
den un ciat io n
o f t he
Mun icipal
A r t Co mmissio n fo r r e-
ject in g
a mur al
by
Ben Shahn an d Lo u
Blo ck fo r t he
pen it en t iar y
o n Riker s Is-
lan d.15
In
No vember ,
Davis made a
blis-
t er in g
at t ack o n F o r bes
Wat so n ,
t he t ech-
n ical dir ect o r o f t he Sect io n o f
Pain t in g
an d
Sculpt ur e
o f t he
Tr easur y Depar t -
men t ,
fo r
havin g
an elit ist at t it ude t o -
war d feder al
pat r o n age.16
Dur in g
t he fall o f
1935,
so me mem-
ber s o f t he
un io n -Jo seph So lmo n , Ilya
Bo lo t o wsky,
Balco mb
Gr een e,
Mar k
Ro t hko wit z, Byr o n Br o wn e, Geo r ge
Mc-
Neil,
an d
o t her s-began
t o
gr umble
abo ut
t he n ar r o w est het ic lin e
mo n o po lizin g
t he
magazin e.
The
gr o up
met
in fo r mally
t o discuss t he n eed fo r a br o ader view-
po in t . Jo e
So lmo n dr ew
up
a man ifest o
fo r
pr esen t at io n
at a un io n
meet in g,
ar -
guin g
t hat a
magazin e r epr esen t in g
a
mass
o r gan izat io n
o f ar t ist s sho uld en -
co ur age
diver se views. The
edit o r s,
he
char ged,
wer e
appar en t ly
un awar e o f t he
educat io n al value o f t he Museum o f
Mo dem A r t . So lmo n also believed A r t
F r o n t sho uld lo o k like an ar t
magazin e
as well as a un io n
jo ur n al.
The st at emen t hit t he
meet in g
like
a bo mbshell an d was fo llo wed
by spir it ed
debat e. The
meet in g
was chair ed
by
Phil
Bar d,
a so lid adher en t o f t he so cial r eal-
ist s. On e o f his car t o o n s
appear ed
in t he
May
1935 A r t F r o n t
sat ir izin g
t he ab-
st r act ar t ist as Do n
Q uixo t e
o n a
r o ckin g
ho r se. He an d So lmo n had differ ed in
ideo lo gical
an d est het ic discussio n at
un io n
meet in gs,
but
t hey r espect ed
each
o t her an d lat er became clo se fr ien ds.
Co n vin ced t hat So lmo n 's
co mplain t
had
mer it ,
Bar d
suggest ed
t hat he be in vit ed
o n t o t he
magazin e's
edit o r ial bo ar d.
These wer e t he
ear ly days
o f t he
Po pular
F r o n t an d it is
po ssible
t hat Bar d was r e-
flect in g
a
gen er al
desir e
by
t he kn o wl-
F ig.
1. The Co ver o f t he fir st A r t F r o n t , No -
vember 1934.
16
edgeable
left
win g
t o
o pen
it s r an ks
est het ically,
as well as
po lit ically.
So lmo n
jo in ed
t he edit o r ial bo ar d fo r t he
December 1935
issue,
t he fir st o f Vo lume
I;
t he
chan ges
wer e immediat e an d
appar en t .
The mast head o f t he fir st t hr ee is-
sues o f t he seco n d vo lume list ed St uar t
Davis as
man agin g edit o r ,
but he was
n o w
devo t in g
his
en er gies
t o t he A mer i-
can A r t ist s
Co n gr ess
an d was n o
lo n ger
as in t er est ed in t he o fficial
publicat io n
o f t he A r t ist s Un io n . Davis wr o t e an
ar t icle o n t he A mer ican A r t ist s
Co n gr ess
fo r t he December 1935
issue;
it was t he
last
piece by
him t o
appear
in A r t F r o n t .
Wit h t he December
issue,
t he di-
men sio n s o f t he
jo umr n al
chan ged
fr o m
t he
eleven -by-sixt een -in ch
fo r mat t o t he
n in e-by-t welve-in ch
fo r mat . The size o f
t he issues var ied bet ween sixt een an d
t hir t y-t wo pages.
A lmo st all t he ar t wo r k
r epr o duced
in t he fir st vo lume was
po lit -
ical car t o o n s
by
br illian t
pr act it io n er s:
William
Gr o pper , Geo r ge Gr o sz,
Ben
Shahn ,
Ot t o
Dehn ,
an d o t her s.
Ver y
few
r epr o duct io n s
o f
pain t in gs, gr aphics,
o r
sculpt ur e appear ed
in t he fir st seven is-
sues. Wit h t he
publicat io n
o f t he Decem-
ber
issue,
A r t F r o n t
began
t o lo o k like an
ar t
jo ur n al.
So lmo n set t he n ew t o n e
by
select in g
fo r t he co ver illust r at io n a
Jan -
sen wo o dcut bo r r o wed fr o m t he New A r t
Cir cle
galler y.
The t heme o f t he wo o d-
cut ,
a
co n t empo r ar y
Ho r semen o f t he
A po calypse,
was r en der ed in a har sh
mys-
t ical
st yle
in t he man n er o f t he Ger man
Expr essio n ist s. In side, alo n g
wit h
po lit i-
cal car t o o n s
by Hugo
Geller t an d Bo r is
Go r elick,
was a
full-page r epr o duct io n
o f
a
IA ger
dr awin g.
The t ext o f a lect ur e
given by
IA ger
at t he Museum o f Mo dem
A r t
acco mpan ied
t he
r epr o duct io n ;
t he
t r an slat io n was made
by
Har o ld Ro sen -
ber g who ,
a decade
lat er ,
became o n e o f
t he n at io n 's
leadin g
ar t cr it ics. He had
been
amo n g
t he fir st
gr o up
o f ar t ist s
hir ed fo r WPA ar t
pr o ject s
an d was as-
sign ed
as a mur al assist an t t o Max
Spi-
vak,
a member o f t he edit o r ial bo ar d o f
A r t F r o n t .
Ro sen ber g,
as well as
Spivak
an d
So lmo n , an n o yed
o t her bo ar d mem-
ber s who
pr efer r ed
a
publicat io n
t hat
emphasized po lit ical
an d eco n o mic is-
sues.
Ro sen ber g
made n o effo r t t o dis-
guise
his disdain fo r his cr it ics o n t he
bo ar d an d in t he
leader ship;
he co n sid-
er ed mo st o f t hem
in t ellect ually
shallo w
an d
bo r in g.
A t
an y t ime,
such an at t it ude
wo uld have cr eat ed
per so n al pr o blems;
in t his
par t icular
t ime o f
gr eat cr isis,
when t he n eed fo r
un it y
seemed so es-
sen t ial,
it was co n sider ed subver sive. It
was
pr o bably
So lmo n who was mo st in -
fluen t ial in
liber alizin g
A r t F r o n t 's
po l-
icy,
but it was t he act ivit ies o f
Ro sen ber g
an d
Spivak
t hat
pr o ved
t o be a
gr eat er
an n o yan ce
t o t he un io n 's
leader ship.
The
t wo fr ien ds wer e co n cer n ed
by
what
t hey
per ceived
t o be t he n ar r o w mechan ical
lin e o f t heir
co lleagues
o n t he edit o r ial
bo ar d,
but t heir so mewhat
flippan t per -
so n al
st yle
exacer bat ed t he
suspicio n
t hat
t hey
wer e
co n spir at o r ial
an d self-
ser vin g.
Wein st o ck
at t empt ed
t o
play
t he
F ig.
2. A r t ist s Un io n
Demo n st r at io n ,
1936 (t he
fr o n t
page
o f A r t F r o n t fo r
Jan uar y 1937).
...:..il......"
.
.
.......
. .. .. .. . ..
.....
..-.....
...
..
...
. . . .
.-.
. .
? .
"
."

;':":': . :,".
............... :--
......., . ..
..
:"
., .. .......

,.,,:.::,,;.,.
,........,,..
.
.
...
::14
...... " .. ...... "... .."..
.?
...".. ....."
........
. .
.
.
,.y
,.
...,. .
...
"..
............
.4.'.0i
..
......
.
....;:
..
.A
. . .
. :
:
.. .:.i
.
.....
17
r o le o f har mo n izer at t he
len gt hy
bo ar d
meet in gs
an d o ft en vo t ed wit h t he dissi-
den t s;
his at t it ude
per plexed
an d
an ger ed
mo st o f t he edit o r ial bo ar d who in t er -
pr et ed
his act io n s as
o ppo r t un ist ic.
The co n flict
er upt ed
at a
Wedn esday
n ight meet in g. Jo e Jo n es
r o se t o
char ge
t hat A r t F r o n t had failed t o fulfill it s
essen t ial fun ct io n as t he
o r gan izin g
an d
in fo r mat io n al in st r umen t o f t he un io n .
Jo n es
was a
han dso me,
ar t iculat e man
given
t o
"left -pat r io t ic" speeches
de-
n o un cin g
mo dem
ar t ,
which
impr essed
t he r an k an d file. He was cheer ed when
he declar ed t hat he was
speakin g
fo r t he
ar t ist s o f t he
Midwest ; Ro sen ber g
an -
ger ed
t he cr o wd when he sho t
back,
"Who t he hell made
yo u
t he
r epr esen t a-
t ive o f t he ar t ist s o f t he Midwest ? "
Wedn esday n ight meet in gs
wer e al-
ways
well at t en ded
because, amo n g
o t her ,
mo r e
impo r t an t , r easo n s, t hey
wer e a so ur ce o f en t er t ain men t . This
par t icular even in g,
at t en dan ce was
espe-
cially lar ge
an d t he "sho w" was
sur ely
n o t
disappo in t in g. Ro sen ber g,
in
r eply
t o
t he
char ge
t hat his
clique
fr ust r at ed t he
will o f t he
majo r it y
o f t he
bo ar d,
sho ut ed
"We
put
o ut t he
magazin e; t hey
ar e a
bun ch o f dummies!" Cr ies o f "elit ism"
filled t he hall as he co n t in ued t o demean
t he un io n 's
leader ship.
Un able t o fin d a
chair ,
Wein st o ck
per ched
o n a win do w
sill an d
quiet ly
o bser ved t he
pr o ceedin gs.
So meo n e in t he cr o wd
sho ut ed,
"Wein -
st o ck is a
Ro bespier r e!,"
so
t akin g
him
by sur pr ise
t hat he fell fr o m t he sill.
A mo t io n was made t o
expel
t he
"clique"
fr o m t he edit o r ial
bo ar d,
but
Bar d,
who was
chair in g
t he
meet in g,
de-
clar ed t hat t he mo t io n was o ut o f o r der
an d wo uld be r efer r ed t o t he execut ive
bo ar d o f t he un io n . Bar d's decisio n came
as a sho ck sin ce
expulsio n
wo uld have
been car r ied
by
t he
member ship.
Her e
again ,
it is
likely
t hat
Bar d,
bet t er in -
fo r med
po lit ically
t han t he r an k an d
file,
was an xio us t o avo id
an y char ge
o f sec-
t ar ian ism. In
ear ly 1936,
t he
impact
o f
t he n ew
po licy
o n
Par t y
cadr e was
clear ;
co o per at io n
wit h so cialist s an d liber als
o n
sho r t -r an ge go als
was n o t
o n ly accept -
able,
it was desir able.
No
chan ge
was made in t he edit o r ial
bo ar d an d t he co n flict r emain ed un set -
t led.
A
meet in g
was called fo r
Par t y
member s an d fello w t r aveler s o n t he edi-
t o r ial
bo ar d t o be held at t he o ffice o f
A lexan der
Tr acht en ber g,
t he head o f In -
t er n at io n al
Publisher s. Neit her Ro sen -
ber g
o r So lmo n was
pr esen t ,
but t her e
was a
special guest ,
a F r en ch o fficial o f
t he
Co min t em, visit in g
t he Un it ed
St at es. The
guest
r eco mmen ded t he
br o ader
co n cept
o f t he
magazin e,
but also
suggest ed,
in view o f t he bit t er
feelin gs
gen er at ed by
t he
disagr eemen t ,
t hat
Spi-
yak r esign
fr o m t he edit o r ial bo ar d.
Spi-
yak
r aised n o
o bject io n s;
he
r esign ed
in
Jan uar y
as did
Davis, Geller t , Bar o n ,
an d
H.
Glin t en kamp.
The o t her fo ur bo ar d
member s
pr o bably quit
because o f t heir
in vo lvemen t wit h t he mo r e
pr est igio us
A mer ican A r t ist s
Co n gr ess,
which was
pr epar in g
fo r it s fir st n at io n al
meet in g
at
To wn Hall o n
F ebr uar y 14,
1936.
So lmo n was elect ed
man agin g
edit o r
an d he
br o ught
in Balco mb
Gr een e,
o n e
o f t he un io n 's few abst r act io n ist s. Pr io r
t o his o fficial
appo in t men t
as
man agin g
edit o r ,
So lmo n had
alr eady chan ged
t he
co n cept
o f A r t F r o n t . Of t he sixt een
pages
in t he
Jan uar y
1936
issue,
o n e was
used fo r t he
co ver ,
t wo fo r
adver t isin g,
t hr ee fo r A r t ist s Un io n edit o r ial
mat t er ,
an d t he t en
r emain in g pages
wer e de-
vo t ed t o
essays, cr it iques, r eviews,
an d
r epr o duct io n s.
A
Jacques Lipchit z sculp-
t ur e is
r epr o duced
o n t he
co ver ,
an d o f
t he six
r epr o duct io n s
in t he
magazin e,
n o t o n e is a car t o o n . This issue is
pr o ba-
bly
t he o n e t hat
pr ecipit at ed
t he
char ges
by Jo e Jo n es.
So lmo n wr o t e
admir in gly
o f t he
ear ly
sur r ealist
pain t in gs
o f De
Chir ico ,
an d Lin co ln Kir st ein co n t r ib-
ut ed an ar t icle o n
scen er y
fo r t heat r ical
dan cin g.
Gr een e an d Wein st o ck had a
lively
debat e abo ut t he wo r k o f
LA ger ,
in
which Gr een e asser t ed "t he
co mplet e
r evo lut io n ist , assumin g
he is
healt hy
an d
capable
o f
r equisit e sen so r y co mpr e-
hen sio n ,
will also welco me a n ew ar t
which
has,
because o f it s fun ct io n al
pur -
po se, r eject ed
lit er al t r an slat io n ."'17
Wein st o ck
ar gued
in
t umr n
t hat
pain t in g
can n o t fr ee ar t fr o m
subject
mat t er un t il
"subject
mat t er it self is
fr ee,
t hat
is,
when
o bject s
n o
lo n ger
n eed be seen in
r elat io n ships
t hat in t ur n en slave t he ar t -
ist an d t hen
us."s18 Mar gar et
Dur o c's r e-
view o f an exhibit io n at t he
Jo hn
Reed
Club is r o o t ed almo st
en t ir ely
in t he ex-
amin at io n o f co n t en t : ".... t he
mean in g
an d
co mpo sit io n
in Gr un baum's
pain t -
in g
ar e
impair ed by r epr esen t in g
t he
Negr o
wit h his head bo wed
passively...
it
falsely suggest s
t he
Negr o
r elies o n t he
whit e wo r ker alo n e fo r his fr eedo m."
19
The
r an ge
o f est het ic at t it udes ex-
pr essed
in t he
Jan uar y
A r t F r o n t r eflect ed
t he n ew liber al edit o r ial
po licy.
Wit ho ut
except io n , ho wever ,
all t he wr it er s wer e
co n cer n ed
wit h t he
pr o blem
o f
cr eat in g
a
r evo lut io n ar y
ar t . In a r eview o f t he
Lipchit z
exhibit io n at t he
Br ummer
Gal-
ler y,
Mar t in
Cr aig ar gued
t hat an ar t
which
o bvio usly
r esembled n at ur e co uld
n o
lo n ger
be
mean in gful. Discussin g
t he
dist o r t ed
figur es
o f t he
sculpt ur e,
he as-
ser t ed,
"If t her e is t o be a vit al r evo lu-
t io n ar y
ar t in t he
fut ur e,
t hen t his is t he
r o ad it will t ake."
20
A r t F r o n t
was,
in
effect ,
an est het ic
dialo gue
o n t he left . A mer ican Scen e ar t -
ist s an d t he academician s wer e
r o un dly
co n demn ed,
but a
lively
debat e evo lved
amo n g
t he so cial
r ealist s,
t he
expr essio n -
ist s,
t he
sur r ealist s,
an d t he abst r act io n -
ist s. Oft en t he discussio n was fo r mal an d
dir ect in side
by
side ar t icles o r in
len gt hy
let t er s t o t he edit o r an d r ebut t als.
Meyer
Shapir o ,
Isamu
No guchi,
Lo uis
A r ago n ,
Lyn d War d,
Elizabet h
McCauslan d,
F r ed-
er ick
Kiesler ,
an d Ber n ice A bbo t t wer e
so me o f t he n o t ables who se wo r k
ap-
pear ed
in t he
magazin es, usually
at t he
behest o f Wein st o ck o r So lmo n . No
o n e,
o f
co ur se,
was ever
paid
a fee. So met imes
a wr it er who was
emplo yed by
t he "bo ur -
geo is" pr ess
wo uld use a
pseudo n ym;
Elizabet h
McCauslan d,
ar t cr it ic fo r t he
Spr in gfield Republican ,
wr o t e fo r A r t
F r o n t un der t he n ame o f Elizabet h No ble.
On e
r egular
co n t r ibut o r t o t he
mag-
azin e was
Jaco b
Kain en who
usually
r e-
viewed exhibit io n s. His ar t icles
gen er ally
man ifest ed a so cial r ealist
bias,
but wer e
wr it t en wit h t he
in t elligen ce
o n e wo uld
expect
o f t he fin e ar t hist o r ian t hat he
was. Kain en 's
highly
cr it ical r eview o f
Hen dr ik Van Lo o n 's
bo o k,
The
A r t s, was
elimin at ed
by
t he edit o r ial bo ar d because
Van Lo o n had
publicly
en do r sed t he ar t
pr o ject !
A n o t her
o ut st an din g
ar t ist -cr it ic fo r
A r t F r o n t was Char mio n Vo n
Weigan d,
t he wife o f New Masses
edit o r , Jo seph
F r eeman .
She, t o o ,
was a fin e ar t hist o -
r ian , par t ial
t o wo r k o f so cial co n t en t . In
a r eview o f sur r ealist ar t at t he Museum
o f Mo dem
A r t ,
she
ast ut ely an alyzed
t he
evo lut io n o f
sur r ealism, pr aised
t he ex-
hibit io n ,
an d co n cluded t hat t he ar t o f
t he fut ur e which ". . . will st r ive fo r a
n ew human ism o n a so cial
basis..,
will
fin d uses fo r t he t echn ical in n o vat io n s o f
t he mo dem
escapist s."
21
Un do ubt edly
a subst an t ial
min o r it y
in t he un io n lo o ked fo r war d t o each issue
o f A r t F r o n t , welco min g
it as a
lively
fo r um fo r
st imulat in g
est het ic discus-
sio n . The A r t ist s
Un io n , ho wever ,
was a
mass
o r gan izat io n
an d t he
majo r it y
was
r elat ively un so phist icat ed; man y
r e-
sen t ed t he
scho lar ly
t o n e o f t he
maga-
zin e an d co n sider ed it an
in dulgen ce
o f a
clique
o f in t ellect uals. In his r eview o f
Salvado r e Dali's
bo o k, Co n quest o f
t he
Ir r at io n al,
in t he
A pr il
1936 A r t
F r o n t ,
Ro sen ber g war n ed
t hat t he bo o k is
"...
n o t r eco mmen ded t o t ho se r eader s o f A r t
F r o n t who have
co mplain ed
o f t he o b-
scur it y
o f so me o f t he ar t icles in t hese
vo lumes." A t a un io n
meet in g,
So lmo n
had t o defen d t he
r epr o duct io n
o f an El
Lissit zky n o n o bject ive pain t in g by po in t -
in g
o ut t hat t he Russian ar t ist was a cele-
br at ed
design er
o f
po st er s
in t he USSR.
The
magazin e
was
pr o duced by
a
pr in t er
who wo r ked fo r
man y
un io n s
an d
left -win g o r gan izat io n s.
The
qualit y
o f
pr in t in g
did n o t meet t he st an dar ds o f
an ar t
magazin e,
but t he co st o f bet t er
r epr o duct io n
was o ut o f t he
quest io n .
Dur in g
t he fir st
year
o f
publicat io n ,
Ben
Shahn r eco mmen ded t he
pur chase
o f a
mult ilit h
pr in t er capable
o f
pr o ducin g
18
x. 4.
t m"
IF lif I
Wi
,
A
,-;

J.
F ig.
3. St uar t Davis,
Sixt h A ven ue
El, 1932, lit ho gr aph.
Used as an illust r at io n in A r t F r o n t . Pho t o :
So t heby
Par ke Ber n et ,
New Yo r k.
A r t F r o n t 's sho r t
pr in t in g
r un in
co lo r ,
but t he
suggest io n
was
r eject ed.
So me
bo ar d member s fear ed
t hat ,
because o f
Shahn 's in t er est in
explo r in g
t he use o f
t he mult ico lo r
pr in t er ,
t he
magazin e
might
beco me his
per so n al
sho wcase.
A ft er a
year
as t he
man agin g edit o r ,
So lmo n decided t he deman ds made
upo n
him
by
t he
magazin e
wer e t o o t ime-co n -
sumin g.
In addit io n t o his
o bligat io n s
t o
t he
WPA ,
he was a
leadin g
member o f an
exhibit io n
gr o up
kn o wn as t he Ten
which had been
r eceivin g
so me
r eco gn i-
t io n . The December 1936 issue was t he
last in which So lmo n fun ct io n ed as t he
man agin g edit o r , alt ho ugh
he r emain ed
o n t he bo ar d fo r t he
Jan uar y
1937 A r t
F r o n t when Wein st o ck succeeded him.
The last ar t icle So lmo n co n t r ibut ed t o
t he
magazin e
was a
laudat o r y
r eview o f
an exhibit io n
by
t he Mexican
pain t er
Rufin o
Tamayo .
So lmo n 's st at emen t t hat
t he
pain t in gs
o f
Tamayo
"so ar ed abo ve
t he wo r k o f mo st o f his
co mpat r io t s"
caused a fur o r
amo n g
a
clique
o f
Seque-
ir o s admir er s an d
dur in g
t he
"go o d
an d
welfar e"
po r t io n
o f a
member ship
meet -
in g,
So lmo n was
char ged
wit h
in sult in g
t he Mexican mur alist . A .
J. Schn eider ,
who wo r ked in t he
Sequeir o s wo r ksho p,
wr o t e a let t er o f
co mplain t
t o be
pr in t ed
in t he n ext
issue,
in which he
pr o claimed
t hat Or o zco an d
Sequeir o s
wer e at t he
n ucleus o f t he Mexican
League
o f Revo -
lut io n ar y
A r t ist s an d Wr it er s an d t hat it
was t her efo r e in cumben t
upo n
"o ur o wn
o r gan
o f
publicit y
[n o t
t o
publicize
in di-
viduals]
t o t he det r imen t o r har m o f
an y
un io n
en gaged
in a
st r uggle
co mmo n t o
all o f us."
22
So lmo n 's br o ad
po licy
lo st so me
mo men t um when Wein st o ck became
man agin g
edit o r .
Ho wever ,
Wein st o ck
did
en jo y pr o vo kin g vigo r o us
debat es fo r
which A r t F r o n t was t he fo r um. He
pub-
lished a
speech by
Lo uis
A r ago n ,
t he
F r en ch Co mmun ist
po et
who had been a
sur r ealist , asser t in g
t hat t he n ew
st yle
"will be a so cialist ic r ealism o r it will
cease t o exist ."
23
Dali
agr eed
t o wr it e a
r ebut t al, accusin g A r ago n
o f
bein g
a left -
ist
o ppo r t un ist .24
Wein st o ck t hen
leaped
in t o t he
fr ay, labelin g
Dali as a co un t er -
r evo lut io n ar y
ar t ist who
pleases
t he
bo ur geo is
"wit h his
slimy
wat ches."
25
The
chan ge
o f
emphasis
was subt le
when co n t r o l o f t he
magazin e
shift ed
fr o m So lmo n t o Wein st o ck. The n ew
man agin g
edit o r r elied less o n t he un -
io n 's ar t ist -cr it ics an d was mo r e
apt
t o
use Mar xist
an alyst s
like A . L.
Llo yd,
F . D.
Klin gen der ,
an d Samuel
Put n am,
who se est het ic views admit t ed t he t ech-
n ical achievemen t s o f t he Scho o l o f
Par is,
but main t ain ed t hat
co n t empo r ar y
ar t co uld
o n ly
be
sign ifican t
when it em-
plo yed
so cial co n t en t . The
magazin e
co n t in ued t o in clude ar t icles o f
gen er al
in t er est t o t he
member s-pr o ject n ews,
un io n
mat t er s,
educat io n al an d t echn ical
dat a, po lit ical co mmen t , list in gs
o f cur -
r en t
exhibit io n s,
an d so o n . A r t wo r k was
liber ally r epr o duced, especially
t hat
which had been
co mplet ed
o n t he ar t
pr o ject .
Member s o f t he un io n 's execut ive
bo ar d wer e
always r epr esen t ed
o n t he
edit o r ial bo ar d t o assur e t hat A r t F r o n t
r emain ed an in st r umen t o f t he un io n 's
eco n o mic
po licy
an d t o co n t r o l
publica-
t io n co st s. It was assumed
by
so me wit h-
in t he
leader ship
t hat t he
magazin e
was
an
expen sive in dulgen ce,
but it is
likely
t hat A r t F r o n t
act ually
was
self-suppo r t -
in g.
Un io n
fin an cin g
was
gen er ally
cas-
ual an d t he
magazin e's
fin an ces wer e
appar en t ly
n o t
separ at ed
fr o m
gen er al
fun ds. In addit io n t o sales an d adver t is-
in g in co me,
which was lit t le
en o ugh,
t he
magazin e
r elied
upo n
fun ds fr o m an A r t
F r o n t Ball t hat was held o n
Than ksgivin g
at t he
Savo y
Ballr o o m in Har lem. F o r t he
six-mo n t h
per io d en din g
December
31,
1936,
t o t al in co me fo r A r t F r o n t was
$939.35,
while
pr in t in g expen ses
wer e
o n ly
$737.14.
Gr an t in g
t hat a t welve-
19
mo n t h st at emen t
might
n o t be so favo r -
able,
t he
magazin e
co uld n o t
r ealist ically
be deemed a fin an cial bur den t o t he un -
io n t hat used A r t F r o n t 's in co me fo r
gen -
er al
expen ses
while it failed t o meet t he
pr in t in g o bligat io n s.
The
feelin g per sist ed
t hat A r t F r o n t
had t o be made
fin an cially r espo n sible,
so when Naum
Tschacbaso v,
in Decem-
ber
1936, suggest ed
t he
magazin e
co uld
beco me a so ur ce o f in co me fo r t he
un io n ,
he was
appo in t ed
busin ess
man ager .
Tschacbaso v was a
dyn amic
an d ambi-
t io us man who had t he
r eput at io n
o f be-
in g vain , self-ser vin g,
an d even r ut hless.
He
immediat ely
r en t ed o ffice
space
at 41 Un io n
Squar e, pur chased
o ffice fur -
n it ur e an d
equipmen t ,
an d hir ed a
pr et t y
but
t o t ally in co mpet en t secr et ar y.
Wein -
st o ck an d Ro t hman
t ho ught
t he mo ve
r idiculo us but n ever t heless
t ho r o ughly
en jo yed
t he
n ew,
luxur io us
en vir o n men t ;
t hey
even had a r o o m wit h a
lo n g
t able
fo r bo ar d
meet in gs.
The
idyll
last ed
abo ut t hr ee mo n t hs-un t il t he fur n it ur e
was
r epo ssessed
fo r
n o n paymen t .
Wein st o ck in fo r med Ro t hman t hat
he was t he n ew busin ess
man ager
when
Tschacbaso v
quit ,
an d Chet LaMo r e
jo in ed
t he bo ar d in an effo r t
by
t he lead-
er ship
t o
st r en gt hen
it s co n t r o l o f t he
magazin e.
LaMo r e was
r eput ed
t o be
t o ugh
an d
efficien t ;
Wein st o ck an d Ro t h-
man welco med t he
help. By
his o wn ad-
missio n a
po o r busin essman ,
Ro t hman
was un awar e t hat t he
magazin e's
adver -
t isin g
salesman was
po cket in g
t he r eve-
n ue. The
"slo ppy"
fin an ces in fur iat ed
t he
leader ship.
F o r mer
pr esiden t Har r y
Go t t lieb was added t o t he edit o r ial bo ar d
an d Ro t hman was
br o ught up
o n
char ges.
Wein st o ck r an t o V.
J. Jer o me
t o co m-
plain
an d he
assign ed
Tim Ho lmes t o
help adjudicat e.
A lt ho ugh
t her e was a
quest io n
o f
misappr o pr iat ed fun ds,
it is
likely
t hat
o lder dissat isfact io n s wit h t he
magazin e
became a do min an t
fact o r ;
a
segmen t
o f
t he
leader ship
believed t he
magazin e
in -
adequat ely r epr esen t ed
t he
go als
o f t he
un io n an d r esen t ed Wein st o ck's co n t r o l.
The
char ges again st
Ro t hman
may
have
been leveled t o discr edit Wein st o ck in -
dir ect ly.
Ho lmes
r epeat edly
r efer r ed t o
Wein st o ck as a
Tr o t skyit e
even
t ho ugh
n o o n e had made t ho se
char ges.
Wein -
st o ck co n t in ued as
man agin g
edit o r
t hr o ugh
December
1937,
t he dat e o f t he
magazin e's
last issue.
A r t F r o n t wen t o ut o f exist en ce
wit ho ut
war n in g;
t he last issue was st ill
so licit in g subscr ipt io n s
an d
r equest in g
n o t ificat io n
t o t he cir culat io n
depar t -
men t o f
chan ge
o f addr ess. Of t he
per -
so n s in t er viewed fo r t his
st udy,
n o n e can
r ecall
why
t he
magazin e
ceased so sud-
den ly t ho ugh
so me
speculat ed
t hat it
may
have been an
eco n o my
measur e
by
t he execut ive bo ar d. The un io n co n t in -
ued t o
pr o duce mimeo gr aphed
n ewslet -
t er s an d bullet in s o f var io us
kin ds,
an d
fr o m t ime t o
t ime,
t her e was t alk o f
spo n so r in g
an o t her
publicat io n .
Ther e
was o n e ser io us
at t empt
in 1940 when
t he un io n
published
New Yo r k A r t ist , a
po cket -size magazin e
t hat
o n ly
last ed fo r
fo ur issues. The avo wed
pur po se
o f t he
n ew
magazin e
was n o t "t o
pr in t
an
ar t y
publicat io n ,
but . . . t o
develo p un it y
amo n g
ar t ist s . . . t o advan ce t heir in t er -
est s."
6
1t
was,
o n t he
who le,
r at her dull.
Per haps
because it was t he
jo ur n al
o f a
un ique o r gan izat io n -a
t r ade un io n
o f fin e ar t ist s
-
t her e has n ever
again
been a
magazin e quit e
like A r t F r o n t .
The
pr o fessio n al
ar t
jo ur n als
like t he A r t
Digest
an d t he
Magazin e o f
A r t wer e
co n ser vat ive an d
st uffy,
while
left -win g
jo ur n als
wit h an in t er est in t he ar t s like
New Masses wer e
pr imar ily
lit er ar y.
F o r
an yo n e wishin g
t o
in vest igat e
t he t en -
sio n s bet ween ar t an d
po lit ics dur in g
t he
1930s,
A r t F r o n t is an in valuable do cu-
men t .
On ly
t he A r chives o f A mer ican
A r t an d t he Museum o f Mo der n A r t Li-
br ar y
have
co mplet e
set s o f t he
magazin e
available fo r
st udy.
No t es
1. A r t F r o n t , No vember
1934, p.
3.
2.
Et hyl Olen iko v,
"In A n swer t o A r t News,"
A r t F r o n t , No vember
1934, p.
5.
3. Clar en ce Wein st o ck,
"A Let t er o n Salvado r
Dali,"
A r t F r o n t , F ebr uar y 1935, p.
8.
4.
Jer o me Klein ,
"Dada fo r
Pr o pagan da,"
A r t
F r o n t , F ebr uar y 1935, p.
8.
5. "The U.S. Scen e in
A r t ," Time, December
24, 1934, p.
24.
6. St uar t
Davis,
"The New Yo r k A mer ican
Scen e in
A r t ,"
A r t F r o n t , F ebr uar y 1935, p.
6.
7.
Ibid.
8. Mo ses
So yer ,
"A bo ut Mo ses
So yer ,"
A r t
F r o n t , F ebr uar y 1935, p.
6.
9.
Jo hn
St ewar t
Cur r y,
"A Let t er fr o m
Cur r y,"
A r t F r o n t , A pr il 1935, p.
6.
10. Tho mas
Ben t o n , "Why
Mr .
Ben t o n ,"
A r t
F r o n t , A pr il 1935, p.
4.
11.
Jaco b Bur ck,
"Ben t o n Sees
Red,"
A r t F r o n t ,
A pr il 1935, p.
6.
12.
Co r r espo n den ce,
A r t F r o n t , May 1935, p.
7.
13. Clar en ce
Wein st o ck,
"Co n t r adict io n s in
A bst r act io n s,"
A r t F r o n t , A pr il 1935, p.
5.
14. St uar t
Davis,
"A Medium o f Two Dimen -
sio n s,"
A r t F r o n t , May 1935, p.
6.
15. St uar t Davis,
"We
Reject -The
A r t Co m-
missio n ," A r t F r o n t ,
July
1935,
p.
4.
16. St uar t
Davis,
"So me Chan ce,"
A r t F r o n t ,
No vember
1935, pp.
4-7.
17. Balco mb
Gr een e,
"The F un ct io n o f
Ldger ,"
A r t F r o n t , Jan uar y 1936, p.
9.
18.
Clar en ce
Wein st o ck,
"F r eedo m in Pain t -
in g,"
A r t F r o n t , Jan uar y 1936, p.
10.
19.
Mar gar et Dur o c, "Cr it ique
fr o m t he
Left ,"
A r t F r o n t , Jan uar y 1936, p.
8.
20. Mar t in
Cr aig, "Jacques Lipchit z,"
A r t F r o n t ,
Jan uar y 1936, pp. 10-11.
21.
Char mio n
Vo n
Weigan d,
"The
Sur r ealist s,"
A r t F r o n t , Jan uar y 1937, pp.
12-15.
22. A .
J. Schn eider ,
A r t F r o n t , Mar ch
1937, p.
15;
also
Jo seph So lmo n , "Tamayo ,"
A r t F r o n t , F eb-
r uar y 1937, p.
17.
23. Lo uis
A r ago n , "Pain t in g
an d
Realit y,"
A r t
F r o n t , Jan uar y 1937, p.
7.
24. Salvado r
Dali,
"I
Defy A r ago n ,"
A r t F r o n t ,
Mar ch
1937, p.
7.
25. Clar en ce
Wein st o ck,
"The Man in t he Bal-
lo o n ,"
A r t F r o n t , Mar ch 1937, p.
8.
26. New Yo r k A r t ist , Mar ch 1940, p.
2.
The Cur at o r 's
Repo r t
A r t hur Br et o n
Dur in g
t he
per io d Jan uar y t hr o ugh
Sept ember 1973, paper s
o r micr o films o f
t he
fo llo win g per so n s
o r
o r gan izat io n s
wer e r eceived in t he
Washin gt o n
o ffice
o f t he A r chives. This list in cludes bo t h
gift s
an d lo an s.
Samuel A dler
Lar r y
A ldr ich
A r chit ect ur al
League
o f New Yo r k
Cliffo r d W.
A shley
A sso ciat ed A mer ican A r t ist s
Galler y,
New Yo r k
Peggy
Baco n
Tho mas
Badger
Rut h
Jo n as
Bar din
William Bazio t es
Michel Ben iso vich
Eugen e
Ber man
Kar l Bit t er
Edwin Ho wlan d Blashfield
Lo uis Bo uch6
Paul Br an so m
Mar gar et
Br o wn
Galler y,
Bo st o n
Lo uise Br un er
Lawr en ce
Calcagn o
William
Chr ist o pher
A lphaeus
Co le
Br uce Co n n er
Paul
Cummin gs
Ben
Cun n in gham
Lily Cushin g
Char les Dan iel
Mo r r is Davidso n
Jo hn Day
Julian
Delbo s
Do wn t o wn
Galler y
Paula
Eliaso ph
Raphael
Ellen der
St ephen Mo r gan
Et n ier
Ralph
F abr i
Clar a F asan o
Paul
F eeley
Hamilt o n East er F ield
Mar y
F ife
Edwar d
F it zger ald
Jo hn
R. F r azier
A ugust us
F uller
Geo r ge
F uller
A lber t
Eugen e
Gallat in
Or o n zo
Gaspar o
Jan
Gelb
Char les H. Giffo r d
William Glacken s
F ay
Go ld
Mike
Go ldber g
Chaim Gr o ss
Kar l
Gr uppe
William Pr est o n Har r iso n
A br aham Har r it o n
Mar sden
Har t ley
Cleo
Har t wig