Edgar Holger Cahill (January 13, 1887 – July 8, 1960) was an Icelandic-American curator, writer, and arts administrator who served as the national director of the

Federal Art Project The Federal Art Project (1935–1943) was a New Deal program to fund the visual arts in the United States. Under national director Holger Cahill, it was one of five Federal Project Number One projects sponsored by the Works Progress Administrati ...

of the

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...

during the

New Deal The New Deal was a series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1939. Major federal programs agencies included the Civilian Con ...

in the United States. WPA-Forum-for-Artists-poster-1936

Biography

Cahill was born Sveinn Kristjan Bjarnarsson in Skógarströnd,

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its ...

on January 13, 1887. Cahill's Icelandic family migrated to Canada in about 1890 and then to

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minnesota to the east, ...

homesteaders The Homestead Acts were several laws in the United States by which an applicant could acquire ownership of government land or the public domain, typically called a homestead. In all, more than of public land, or nearly 10 percent of ...

, anglicizing their name to Bjornson and eventually, Johnson, although they continued to speak Icelandic at home. Extreme poverty, lack of formal education and domestic strife marked Cahill's early childhood. When he was young, his father abandoned the family and his mother sent the young Cahill to live and work on a farm owned by an Icelandic family 50 miles away where he was mistreated. His mother remarried and had another child, Anna. That marriage also did not last. After two difficult years with the Icelandic farmers, Cahill ran away at first to neighboring farms where he found work and eventually to

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749 ...

, in search of distant cousins. The cousins refused to take him in and he ended up in an orphanage. A

Gaelic Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, an ...

-speaking family in a nearby cooperative farm community adopted Cahill and he was able to attend school regularly for the first time. After several years with the Gaelic family, he returned to North Dakota in search of his mother only to discover that his mother and step-sister had moved. Eventually he found them working on a nearby tenant farm in 1902. His mother had remarried to a younger man named Samson, and she and her son quarreled. Once again, he left home and did not see his mother again for 45 years.

Career

Cahill's employment in the field of visual arts began in 1921 when he was hired by John Cotton Dana at the Newark Museum and the Society of Independent Artists to write publicity about their activities. As a former journalist and editor, Cahill had learned how to write effectively and he helped create new interest both organizations in the media. Through his friend, the artist John Sloan, Cahill knew many of the leading artists of the day and he encouraged Dana to purchase works by contemporary artists for the museum’s growing collection. After Dana's death in 1929, Cahill organized the first major museum surveys of American Folk Art at the Newark Museum in 1930 ("American Primitives") and 1931 ("American Folk Sculpture"). While at Newark, he also published fiction, essays and short stories including art criticism for the magazines ''Shadowland'' ''International Studio'' and the ''New York Herald Tribune''. He published a novel, ''Profane Earth'' in 1927 and, in 1930, "A Yankee Adventurer" a biography of Frederick Townsend Ward and his role in the Taiping Rebellion of 1861. At Newark, he met his future wife, Dorothy Canning Miller whom he married in 1938.Jeffers, Wendy "Holger Cahill and American Art", ''Journal of the Archives of American Art'', fall 1992, volume 31, #4, 1991. pp. 2–11. Together with the galleries Edith Halpert of the Downtown Gallery, Cahill published a monograph on Pop Hart in 1928, Max Weber in 1930 and Jules Pascin in 1931. Halpert and Cahill also launched a magazine called Space that ran for three issues in January, March and June, 1930. In 1932–33, Cahill served as acting director of the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of t ...

when the founding director,

Alfred H. Barr Jr. Alfred Hamilton Barr Jr. (January 28, 1902 – August 15, 1981) was an American art historian and the first director of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. From that position, he was one of the most influential forces in the development of ...

, took a leave of absence. He organized several notable exhibitions including ''American Sources of Modern Art'', ''American Folk Art: Art of the Common Man in America'' and a survey exhibition, ''American Painting and Sculpture 1862–1932''. In 1934, he directed the First Municipal Art Exhibition at

Rockefeller Center Rockefeller Center is a large complex consisting of 19 commercial buildings covering between 48th Street and 51st Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The 14 original Art Deco buildings, commissioned by the Rockefeller family, span th ...

in New York; the exhibition coincided with the destruction of the mural by

Diego Rivera Diego María de la Concepción Juan Nepomuceno Estanislao de la Rivera y Barrientos Acosta y Rodríguez, known as Diego Rivera (; December 8, 1886 – November 24, 1957), was a prominent Mexican painter. His large frescoes helped establish the ...

and many of the artists threatened to withdraw. When Cahill left Newark, he employed Dorothy Miller as his assistant on his various projects. At the First Municipal Art Exhibition, Miller stepped in as Director when Cahill landed in the hospital and was unable to continue which led to her later position as curator at the Museum of Modern Art. Cahill-Harlem-Community-Art-Center-1938

From August 1935 until April 1943, Cahill was the national director of the

, the role for which he is best known today. His contributions to the research, documentation and understanding of the visual arts in America were wide-ranging—from the earliest crafts of the Native Americans to the

abstract expressionists Abstract expressionism is a post–World War II art movement in American painting, developed in New York City in the 1940s. It was the first specifically American movement to achieve international influence and put New York at the center of the ...

. In the 1920s, his early endorsement of American

folk art Folk art covers all forms of visual art made in the context of folk culture. Definitions vary, but generally the objects have practical utility of some kind, rather than being exclusively decorative. The makers of folk art are typically tr ...

as well as the early American modernists introduced their work to a larger public through exhibitions, catalogues and criticism. During his tenure of the WPA, his oversight of the Index of American Design established a greater understanding of the variety and quality of American iconographic imagery. Cahill proved to be an imaginative, sensitive and skillful administrator. Under his leadership community art centers were established in over 100 towns and cities nationwide, murals drawing upon the geographical environment were painted in public buildings throughout the country, and some 10,000 artists and craft workers were sustained through the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

. An entire generation of artists was nurtured, their work exhibited, and an expanded public for art was created. In 1938, Cahill married Dorothy Canning Miller, curator of painting and sculpture at the Museum of Modern Art. The following year, he took a leave of absence from the WPA to stay in New York City and direct a large survey exhibition at the 1939 World’s Fair, ''American Art Today''. Through Miller, he continued to meet new artists and he was an avid and interested spectator of all of the programming at the Museum of Modern Art.

Writing

When the Federal Arts Project ended in 1943, Cahill returned to New York to concentrate on writing novels and essays. Hampered by various illnesses after his busy tenure as Director of the Federal Art Project and a severe heart attack in 1947, he managed to complete two novels, ''Look South to the Polar Star'', in 1947, and ''The Shadow of My Hand'', in 1956, set in the Midwest of his youth. In the same year he began studying poetry with Stanley Kunitz, and taped a memoir for the

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

Oral History Project. He also received a

Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the art ...

for work on his novel ''Stone Dreamer'', which was left unfinished at his death in 1960. Cahill died on July 8, 1960 in

Stockbridge, Massachusetts Stockbridge is a town in Berkshire County in Western Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,018 at the 2020 census. A year-round resort area, Stockbridge is ...

where he is buried in the town's cemetery.

Bibliography

1921-1925 *'' Shadowland'' magazine. August 1921. "John Sloan: Man and Artist" by Edgar Cahill. pp. 11, 71-73. *''Shadowland'' magazine. December 1921. "A High Northern Renaissance on Iceland". *''

The Nation ''The Nation'' is an American liberal biweekly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper t ...

''. August 17, 1921 (volume 113, number 2928). "Purity in the Sixth Printing". ''

Hunger In politics, humanitarian aid, and the social sciences, hunger is defined as a condition in which a person does not have the physical or financial capability to eat sufficient food to meet basic Human nutrition, nutritional needs for a sustaine ...

'' by

Knut Hamsun Knut Hamsun (4 August 1859 – 19 February 1952) was a Norwegian writer who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1920. Hamsun's work spans more than 70 years and shows variation with regard to consciousness, subject, perspective ...

, reviewed by Edgar H. Cahill. pp. 181–182. *''The Nation'', October 26, 1921 (volume 113, number 2938). "Artists and Business Men". ''Shallow Soil'' by

. *''

New York Herald Tribune The ''New York Herald Tribune'' was a newspaper published between 1924 and 1966. It was created in 1924 when Ogden Mills Reid of the ''New-York Tribune'' acquired the '' New York Herald''. It was regarded as a "writer's newspaper" and competed ...

''. November 27, 1921. "Hunger From Hamsun," ''Dreamers'' by

reviewed by Holger Cahill. *'' The Bookman'', January 1922 (volume 54, number 5). "Icelandic Renaissance". pp. 496–497. *''

The New York Times Book Review ''The New York Times Book Review'' (''NYTBR'') is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times'' in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely rea ...

''. February 19, 1922. "Hanging out the Crepe for Europe". pp. 12, 23. *''International Studio''. March 1922 (volume 75, number 299). "America Has Its Primitives". pp. 80–83. (Article about the Pueblo-Indian art in the Exhibition of Independent Artists.) *''Shadowland'' magazine. February 1922. "

Ernest Lawson Ernest Lawson (March 22, 1873 – December 18, 1939) was a Canadian-American painter and exhibited his work at the Canadian Art Club and as a member of the American group The Eight, artists who formed a loose association in 1908 to protest ...

and His America" by Edgar Holger Cahill, pp. 23, 72. *'' hadowland'' magazine. June 1922. "Bruce Crane: Master of Landscape" by Edgar Holger Cahill. pp. 11, 70, 75 (with color reproduction). *''Shadowland'' magazine. August 1922. "Bryson Burroughs" by Edgar Holger Cahill. pp. 11, 66-67 (with color reproductions). *''Shadowland'' magazine. September 1922. "John Edward Costigan, John Costigan Carries the Flame" by Edgar Holger Cahill, pp. 11, 71 (with color reproductions). *''Shadowland'' magazine. November 1922. " Hayley Lever, Individualist (The artist who believes that man may draw inspiration from all sources, but that the only deadly sin is imitation)" by Edgar Holger Cahill. p. 11, 77 (with color reproductions). *''International Studio''. November 1922 (volume 76, number 306). " Trygue Hammer's Sculpture". pp. 104–107. *''

The Freeman ''The Freeman'' (formerly published as ''The Freeman: Ideas on Liberty'' or ''Ideas on Liberty'') was an American libertarian magazine, formerly published by the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE). It was founded in 1950 by John Chamberla ...

''. November 23, 1922. Article title unknown, by Holger Cahill, p. 254?. *''Shadowland'' magazine. February 1923 (volume 7, number 6). " Jonas Lie: Poet of Today" by Edgar Cahill. pp. 11, 70. *''Shadowland'' magazine. April 1923. " Kenneth Hayes Miller Who Occupies the Place in the World of Art that

James Branch Cabell James Branch Cabell (; April 14, 1879 – May 5, 1958) was an American author of fantasy fiction and ''belles-lettres''. Cabell was well-regarded by his contemporaries, including H. L. Mencken, Edmund Wilson, and Sinclair Lewis. His work ...

Holds in Literature" by Edgar Cahill. pp. 11, 71. *''Shadowland'' magazine. June 1923. "The Odyssey of George Hart — Who is the Dean of the Globe-Trotting Painters, and Whose Work Shows a Genuine Gusto for Life" by Edgar Cahill. pp. 11, 70. *''Shadowland'' magazine. September 1923. "Gaspard and America's Growth" (article about

Leon Gaspard Leon Schulman Gaspard (2 March 1882 - 21 February 1964) was a Russian Empire-born painter, known for his paintings of indigenous cultures and folk traditions. He tended to paint scenes with throngs of people, and his favorite locations were in s ...

of the Milch Galleries by Edgar Cahill. *''Tavern Topics''. April 1924. "Norsemen of Old Invade American Art, Viking Warriors and Traditions Embodied in the Beautiful Decorative Motifs of New York's Newest Restaurant" by Edgar H. Cahill. pp. 17, 39. 1926-1930 *Paintings: Newark Museum, (Second List). The

Newark Museum The Newark Museum of Art (formerly known as the Newark Museum), in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey, United States, is the state's largest museum. It holds major collections of American art, decorative arts, contemporary art, and arts of Asia, A ...

Association. 1926. Newark,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...

; notes by Holger Cahill. *''Profane Earth''. The Macaulay Co., New York 1927. (book jacket drawn by John Sloan; dedicated the book to

John Cotton Dana John Cotton Dana (born August 19, 1856, in Woodstock, Vermont – died July 21, 1929, in Newark, New Jersey) was an American library and museum director who sought to make these cultural institutions relevant to the daily lives of citizens. As ...

) (fiction). *''

'' book review. November 27, 1927. "Adventures in Lithography" '' George W. Bellows: His Lithographs'' reviewed by Holger Cahill. * George O. "Pop" Hart, The Downtown Gallery, New York, 1928, 25 pages. Essay by Holger Cahill. Some editions of the book were published with an original

lithograph Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by the German a ...

in frontispiece. *''Poster''. June 1928. "Poster Art in the Newark Museum" by Edgar Holger Cahill, staff member of the

and the

Newark Public Library The Newark Public Library (NPL) is a public library system in Newark, New Jersey. The library system offers numerous programs and events to its diverse population. With eight different locations, the Newark Public Library serves as a Statewide Re ...

. * Louise Connolly The Newark Museum, "Miss Connolly Continued Her Teaching in the Library and Museum" by Holger Cahill (small booklet published by the Newark Library and Museum at the time of her death. JCD: "these notes on the life of Miss Louise Connolly were prepared by Mrs. Henry B. Twombly of Summit New Jersey and by HC of the library museum and staff"). *Contemporary American Art, Municipal Art Gallery,

Atlantic City Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.

. 1929. (exhibition dates: June 19 — October 1, 1929). introduction by Holger Cahill (Cahill listed as one of three on the Exhibition Committee.). *''Creative Art''. 1929. "The Museum and American Contemporary Art" (the

issued a reprint). *''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...

'' magazine, August 15, 1929. "The Machine Industry's Need for Art" by

, in collaboration with Holger Cahill. *''The Museum''. Newark,

. February 1929 (volume II, number 5)., "New American Paintings and Sculpture", pp. 34–35. *''A Yankee Adventurer'', The Macaulay Company, New York, 1930.

all All or ALL may refer to: Language * All, an indefinite pronoun in English * All, one of the English determiners * Allar language (ISO 639-3 code) * Allative case (abbreviated ALL) Music * All (band), an American punk rock band * ''All'' (All ...

*''Americana Illustrated''. January 1930 (volume XXIV, number 1). "The Life and Work of

", pp. 69–84. (by Edgar Holger Cahill). *''Space''. Volumes 1-3 — January 1930, March 1930 and June 1930. (Cahill was

editor in chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

.) *Max Weber, The Downtown Gallery, New York, 1930, 45 pages, 32 photographic plates. Essay by Holger Cahill. Some editions of the book were published with an original

in frontispiece. *Modern American Watercolors, January 4 — February 9, 1930,

, introduction by Cahill, pp. 7–8. *''American Primitives — An Exhibit of the Paintings of Nineteenth Century Folk Artists''.

, 1930. Introduction by Cahill (pp. 7–9); descriptive notes by Cahill for "Portraits" (pp. 11– 15); "Landscapes and Other Scenes" (pp. 61–63); "Decorative Pictures" (pp. 69–75); and "Wood Sculpture" (p. 77). (exhibition dates: November 4, 1930 — February 1, 1931). *''

''. October 8, 1930 (volume 131, number 3405). "Early Lawlessness" ''The Outlaw Years'' by Robert M. Coates, reviewed by Holger Cahill. pp. 380–381. 1931-1935 *

Jules Pascin Julius Mordecai Pincas (March 31, 1885 – June 5, 1930), known as Pascin (; erroneously or ), Jules Pascin, or the "Prince of Montparnasse", was a Bulgarian artist known for his paintings and drawings. He later became an American citizen ...

, The Downtown Gallery, New York, 1931, Catalogue text by Holger Cahill. There were also texts by

Frank Crowninshield Francis Welch Crowninshield (June 24, 1872 – December 28, 1947), better known as Frank or Crownie (''informal''), was an American journalist and art and theater critic best known for developing and editing the magazine ''Vanity Fair'' for 21 y ...

and Henry McBride. (exhibition dates: January 3–25, 1931). * William Zorach, The Downtown Gallery. Essay by Cahill in exhibition announcement. (exhibition dates: January 27 — February 15, 1931). *''Atelier''. June 1931, "American Primitives". pp. 417–424. *''The American Mercury''. September 1931 (volume XXIV, number 93). "American Folk Art". pp. 39–46. *''American Folk Sculpture — The Work of Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century Craftsmen''.

, Newark,

, 1931. "American Folk Sculpture" (pp. 13–18); "Wood Carving: Ship's Figureheads" (pp. 23–29); "Cigar Store Figures" (pp. 31–32); "Portraits" (pp. 38–39); "Eagles" (p. 48); "Schimmel Carvings" (p. 54–55); "The Pennsylvania Germans" (pp. 56 – 61); "Decoy Birds" (pp. 63–65); "Toys" (p. 68); "Work in Metal" (pp. 71–77); "Fire Marks" (p. 83); "Iron Stove Plates" (pp. 85–86); "Pottery and Plaster Ornaments" (pp. 93–96); "A Note on Stone Carving" (pp. 97–98). (exhibition dates: October 20, 1931 — January 31, 1932). *''

Scribner's Magazine ''Scribner's Magazine'' was an American periodical published by the publishing house of Charles Scribner's Sons from January 1887 to May 1939. ''Scribner's Magazine'' was the second magazine out of the Scribner's firm, after the publication of ' ...

''. September 1931 (volume XC, number 3). "He-Rain". pp. 259–269 (fiction). *''Scribner's Magazine''. December 1931 (volume XC, number 6). "Fun (A Story)". pp. 653–660 (fiction). *''The American Mercury''. August 1932 (volume XXVI, number 104). "The Life of Art". pp. 487–494. (fiction). *''Life in the United States — A Collection of Narratives of Contemporary American Life From First Hand Experience or Observation''. Charles Scribner's. New York. 1932, 1933. Story by Holger Cahill ''He-Rain'', pp. 79–94. (fiction). *''Formes'' . March 1932 (number 23). "American Folk Art". pp. 232–234, a reprint of the article from ''The American Mercury''. *''Creative Art''. March 1932. " Bernard Karfiol". pp. 181–188. *''Parnassus''. March 1932 (volume IV, number III). "Folk Art: Its Place in the American Tradition". pp. 1–4. *''American Folk Art: The Art of the Common Man in America, 1750-1900''.

The Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of th ...

, New York. 1932. Essay, pp. 3–28. (exhibition dates: November 30, 1932 — January 14, 1933). *''Creative Art''. December 1932 (volume XI, number 4). "Early Folk Art in America" pp. 254–270. (Reprinted from

exhibition catalogue ''American Folk Art: The Art of the Common Man in America, 1750-1900''). *''America as Americans See It''. 1932. edited by Fred J. Ringel,

Harcourt Brace Harcourt () was an American publishing firm with a long history of publishing fiction and nonfiction for adults and children. The company was last based in San Diego, California, with editorial/sales/marketing/rights offices in New York City ...

, New York. (Cahill wrote "American Art Today", pp. 244–266, introduction by Henry McBride). *''American Painting and Sculpture, 1862-1932''. 1932.

, New York. essay, pp. 9–22 (exhibition dates: October 31, 1932 — January 31, 1933). *''American Sources of Modern Art''. 1933. The Museum of Modern Art, W. W. Norton and Co. Inc., Essay, pp. 5–21. (exhibition dates: May 10 — June 30, 1933. Cahill was director of the exhibition). This book was also published as ''Aztec, Inca and Mayan Art'' by Garrett Press. *First Municipal Art Exhibition, foreword by Cahill. (exhibition dates: February 28 — March 31, 1934). *

Arshile Gorky Arshile Gorky (; born Vostanik Manoug Adoian, hy, Ոստանիկ Մանուկ Ատոյեան; April 15, 1904 – July 21, 1948) was an Armenian-American painter who had a seminal influence on Abstract Expressionism. He spent the last years of hi ...

, Mellon Galleries, Philadelphia, essays by Cahill,

Frederick Kiesler Frederick John Kiesler (September 22, 1890 – December 27, 1965) was an Austrian- American architect, theoretician, theater designer, artist and sculptor. Biography Kiesler was born Friedrich Jacob Kiesler in Czernowitz, Austro-Hungarian Empir ...

, Harriet Janowitz and Stuart Davis. *''Art in America in Modern Times''. 1934, Reynal and Hitchcock, New York, edited by Alfred Barr and Holger Cahill, (essays by Cahill: "American Painting 1865-1934" (pp. 7–50) and "American Sculpture Since the Civil War" (pp. 51–62). * Anne Goldthwaite, The Downtown Gallery New York 1935. essay by Cahill in exhibition announcement. (exhibition dates: December 11–28, 1935). *Sculpture by Chaim Gross, Boyer Galleries,

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. Essay by Cahill in exhibition announcement. (exhibition dates: January 16 — February 5, 1935). *''Art in America, A Complete Survey''. Halycon House, New York, 1935. Edited by Alfred Barr and Holger Cahill, (essays by Cahill: "Folk and Popular Art" (pp. 42–44); "American Painting 1865-1934" (pp. 65–108); "American Sculpture Since the Civil War" (pp. 109–120)). *''Federal Art Project Manual'', U.S. Works Progress Administration, Washington D.C. October 1935. Publication #7120. 1936-1940 *''New Horizons in American Art''.

, New York, 1936, Introduction by Cahill (exhibition dates: September 14 —- October 21, 1936). Arno reprint in 1969. *''American Art Portfolio, Series One''. Raymond and Raymond Publishers. 1936. Introduction by Cahill. pp. 17–25. The essay was also published separately as ''American Painting, A Short Essay by Holger Cahill'' by Raymond and Raymond (unknown date). *''Old and New Paths in American Design''. November 1936 (12 pages).

. (Essay by Holger Cahill, pp. 3–10) (Text of address at Newark Museum, November 6, 1936, on the occasion of the opening of the exhibition of the work of the FAP of the WPA held at the Newark Museum.) *''

''. October 10, 1936. Art: "Toward an American Art". (discusses FAP and exhibition at

.) *''

Architectural Record ''Architectural Record'' is a US-based monthly magazine dedicated to architecture and interior design. "The Record," as it is sometimes colloquially referred to, is widely-recognized as an important historical record of the unfolding debates in a ...

''. September 1937 (volume 82). Design Trends, "Mural America". Essay by Cahill. pp. 63–68. *''Masters of Popular Painting: Modern Primitives of Europe and America (April 27 — July 24, 1938)''.

, New York, in collaboration with The Grenoble Museum. Chapter on American primitives "Artists of the People", pp. 95–105 by Cahill. *'' House & Garden''. July 1938 (volume 74). Wellman, Rita: "American Design: Historic Examples from Index of American Design". pp. 15–39. * Loren MacIver. East River Gallery. Essay by Cahill in exhibition announcement. (exhibition dates: March 29 — April 16, 1938). *''

'' book review. September 4, 1938. "In a Native Tradition — A Subtle Study of One Artist Whose Roots Lie Deep in Old American Simplicities". ''

Charles Sheeler Charles Sheeler (July 16, 1883 – May 7, 1965) was an American artist known for his Precisionist paintings, commercial photography, and the avant-garde film, '' Manhatta'', which he made in collaboration with Paul Strand. Sheeler is recognized ...

, Artist in the American Tradition'' by Constance Rourke, reviewed by Holger Cahill, p. 4. *''

Reader's Digest ''Reader's Digest'' is an American general-interest family magazine, published ten times a year. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, it is now headquartered in midtown Manhattan. The magazine was founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and his wif ...

''. November 1938. "Art for Our Sake" (Community Art Centers and the WPA). *American Art Today, New York World's Fair, National Art Society. 1939. Essay, "American Art Today". pp. 19–32. *''Resources For Building America Number 15''. 1939. (The speeches contained in this booklet were delivered at the National Meeting in celebration of the eightieth birthday of

John Dewey John Dewey (; October 20, 1859 – June 1, 1952) was an American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer whose ideas have been influential in education and social reform. He was one of the most prominent American scholars in the fi ...

, New York City, October 20–21, 1939.) American Resources in the Arts, pp. 41-?. *''Parnassus''.

College Art Association The College Art Association of America (CAA) is the principal organization in the United States for professionals in the visual arts, from students to art historians to emeritus faculty. Founded in 1911, it "promotes these arts and their unders ...

, May 1939 (volume XI, number 5). "American Art Today" (reprint of the World's Fair essay). pp. 14–15, 35-37. *''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', June 18, 1939 (Sunday Gravure Picture Section). "Art: Yesterday Versus Today", Essay by Holger Cahill on the 1939 World's Fair exhibitions: "Moderns". p. ____. *''The Studio''. June 1939. "Modern American Art". 1941-1945 *''

The New Republic ''The New Republic'' is an American magazine of commentary on politics, contemporary culture, and the arts. Founded in 1914 by several leaders of the progressive movement, it attempted to find a balance between "a liberalism centered in hu ...

''. September 14, 1942. ''The Faces of War — Men of the RAF'' by Sir

William Rothenstein Sir William Rothenstein (29 January 1872 – 14 February 1945) was an English painter, printmaker, draughtsman, lecturer, and writer on art. Emerging during the early 1890s, Rothenstein continued to make art right up until his death. Though he c ...

; ''War Pictures by British Artists: War At Sea; Blitz; RAF; Army Reviewed by Holger Cahill p. 324. *''

and the

, A Museum in Action: Presenting the Museum's Activities''. Catalogue of an exhibition of American paintings and sculpture from the museum's collections,

, Newark,

, 1944. (exhibition dates: October 31, 1944 — January 31, 1945). "Introduction" by Cahill (35th Anniversary Exhibition), 191 pp. ?. *''Canadian Art''. February–March 1944 (volume 1, number 3). "Art Goes To Public in the United States". pp. 102–107, 129-131. *''American Contemporary Art''. November 1944 (volume 1, number 9). "The Museum and The Community". pp. 9–11. *''USA: An American Review'', Volume 2, #9, published by the U.S. Office of War Information, "Government Art Projects" by Holger Cahill, p. 46., 1944? *''The League, Winter, 1944-45'', (bulletin published by the

Art Students League of New York The Art Students League of New York is an art school at 215 West 57th Street in Manhattan, New York City, New York. The League has historically been known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists. Although artists may st ...

): "A Defense of the WPA Art Project". pp. 12–13. *'' Magazine of Art''. May 1945 (volume 38, number 5). "Franklin Delano Roosevelt". p. 163. *'' The Studio''. July 1945 (volume CXXX, number 628). "Artists in War and Peace". pp. 1–15. *''

Art News ''ARTnews'' is an American visual-arts magazine, based in New York City. It covers art from ancient to contemporary times. ARTnews is the oldest and most widely distributed art magazine in the world. It has a readership of 180,000 in 124 countri ...

''. October 15–31, 1945. "Stuart Davis". pp. 24–25, 32. 1946-1950 *'' Magazine of Art''. November 1946 (volume 39, number 7). "In Our Time". pp. 308–325. *''ALA News'' (Artists League of America). Number 1, 1946. "Can Art Survive with its Present Patronage?" (Excerpts from an address given to ALA on February 15, 1946, at the ACA Gallery by Cahill.) *''Look South to the Polar Star'', Harcourt Brace and Company, New York. January 23, 1947. (fiction). *''Magazine of Art''. May 1947. Book review by Holger Cahill of ''The Meeting of East and West'' by F.S.C. Northrup. p. 201. *''Magazine of Art''. November 1947 (volume 40, number 7). ''Principles of Chinese Painting'' by George Rowley. p. 291. *''Magazine of Art''. March 1949 (volume 42, number 3). "A Symposium: The State of American Art". p. 88. *''Magazine of Art'', April 1949 (volume 42, number 4). The Painting of

Max Weber Maximilian Karl Emil Weber (; ; 21 April 186414 June 1920) was a German sociologist, historian, jurist and political economist, who is regarded as among the most important theorists of the development of modern Western society. His ideas p ...

, "Max Weber: A Reappraisal in Maturity" pp. 128–133. *''Magazine of Art''. May 1949 (volume 42, number 5) "Forty Years After: An Anniversary for the A.F.A.". pp. 169–178. *'' The Index of American Design'', Erwin O. Christensen, Introduction by Holger Cahill,

The MacMillan Company Macmillan Inc. is a defunct American book publishing company. Originally established as the American division of the British Macmillan Publishers, the two were later separated and acquired by other companies, with the remnants of the original A ...

National Gallery of Art The National Gallery of Art, and its attached Sculpture Garden, is a national art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, located on the National Mall, between 3rd and 9th Streets, at Constitution Avenue NW. Open to the public and free of ch ...

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Found ...

, Washington, D.C., 1950. *'' House Beautiful''. October 1950. "You Can Trace the Roots of the American Style to America's Folk Art". pp. 138–139, 206-209, 273. *''Antiques''. May 1950. "Folk Art Issue. What is American Folk Art?, A Symposium" (included Jack Baur, Holger Cahill, Edwin Christensen, Carl Drepperd, James Flexner, John Kouwenhoven,

Nina Fletcher Little Nina may refer to: * Nina (name), a feminine given name and surname Acronyms * National Iraqi News Agency, a news service in Iraq * Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, on the campus of Norwegian University of Science and Technology *No income, ...

, Edgar Preston Richardson, Frank O. Spinney, Janet MacFarlane and Louis Jones)". p. 355. 1951-1955 *''Antiques''. March 1951 (volume LIX, number 3). "Artisan and Amateur in American Folk Art". pp. 210–211. *Minnesota History, 1951, The French in America, 1520-1880,

Detroit Institute of Arts The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA), located in Midtown Detroit, Michigan, has one of the largest and most significant art collections in the United States. With over 100 galleries, it covers with a major renovation and expansion project comple ...

Exhibition, reviewed by Holger Cahill. p. 36. *Introduction to "Documentary Record of Fire Marks" published by the HV Smith Museum of the Home Insurance Company, 1952. *''Magazine of Art''. November 1952 (volume 45, number 7). "Niles Spencer". pp. 313–315. *Downtown Gallery, Exhibition of Paintings by

Niles Spencer Niles Spencer (16 May 1893 – 15 May 1952) was an American painter of the Precisionist School who specialized in depicting urban and industrial landscapes. His works are in the permanent collections of several major museums including the Metr ...

, October 28 — November 15, 1952, Essay by Cahill in the exhibition announcement (reprint of the above essay from the ''Magazine of Art''). *''

'' book review. April 6, 1952. "Independent Citizen of the World of Art — An Understanding Monograph on the Rebel Painter John Sloan", ''John Sloan'', by Lloyd Goodrich, reviewed by Holger Cahill. *'' Saturday Review''. December 20, 1952. "War Photo Pioneers", ''Divided We Fought — A Pictorial History of the Civil War, 1861-1865'' by Hirst Milhollen, Milton Kaplan and Hulen Stuart, reviewed by Holger Cahill. p. 12. *

Morgan Russell Morgan Russell (January 25, 1886 – May 29, 1953) was a modern American artist. With Stanton Macdonald-Wright, he was the founder of Synchromism, a provocative style of abstract painting that dates from 1912 to the 1920s. Russell's "synchromie ...

. Rose Fried Gallery. Essay by Cahill in exhibition announcement. (exhibition dates: October 26 — November 1953). *''New York Herald Tribune''. "John Sloan". 1953?. p. ?. *''New York Herald Tribune''. April 12, 1953. "Artists and Illustrators of the Old West", Fifty Pictorial Years of the Old West, by Robert Taft, reviewed by Holger Cahill, p. 4. *''Saturday Review''. November 7, 1953. "Still Collection". ''After The Hunt'' by Alfred Frankenstein, reviewed by Holger Cahill. p. 51. *''Art Digest''., February 15, 1954. "Ancient Art of the Andes". pp. 7–9. *''New York Herald Tribune''. December 12, 1954. "A Witty Westerner on Chinese Painting". ''Aspects of Chinese Painting'' by Alan Priest, reviewed by Holger Cahill. p. 3. *''

''. November 7, 1954. "Pathways to the Past". ''The Eagle, the Jaguar and the Serpent, Indian Art of the Americas: North America'', reviewed by Holger Cahill. p. 3. *''50 Ans d'art aux Etats Unis''. Introduction by Cahill, dated February 16, 1955. (Exhibition held at the ''Musee d'Art Modern'' in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

.) *''New York Herald Tribune''. January 2, 1955. "Serene Fields". ''Amishland'' by Kiehl and Christian Newswanger, reviewed by Holger Cahill, p. 4. *'' Saturday Review''. November 26, 1955. ''

John Singer Sargent John Singer Sargent (; January 12, 1856 – April 14, 1925) was an American expatriate artist, considered the "leading portrait painter of his generation" for his evocations of Edwardian-era luxury. He created roughly 900 oil paintings and more ...

'' by Charles Merrill Mount, reviewed by Holger Cahill. p. 16. 1956-1960 *''The Shadow of My Hand''.

, New York 1956. (fiction). *''Marg, A Magazine of the Arts'', Volume X, December 1956, #1, American Supplement: "Twentieth Century Art in the U.S." "Painting" (pp. 46–62) and "Sculpture" (pp. 63–67), illustrated. *Modern Art in the United States, a selection from the collections of

, New York, shown at the

Tate Gallery Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the U ...

, essay "American Painting and Sculpture in the Twentieth Century" by Cahill. *''The New York Times Book Review''. November 10, 1957. "Yesterday in the Middle Americas", Indian Art of Mexico and Central America by Miguel Covarrubias, reviewed by Holger Cahill. *''New York Herald Tribune'' book review. December 6, 1959. "

George Catlin George Catlin (July 26, 1796 – December 23, 1872) was an American adventurer, lawyer, painter, author, and traveler, who specialized in portraits of Native Americans in the Old West. Traveling to the American West five times during the 18 ...

: In His Art the Frontier American Indian Endures". ''George Catlin and the Old Frontier'' by Harold McCracken; ''George Catlin: Episodes From "Life Among the Indians" and "Last Rambles"'' edited by Marvin C. Ross, reviewed by Holger Cahill. p. ?. *''New York Herald Tribune'' book review. January 3, 1960. "The Rich Sweep of the Great Rivers He Painted Was in Bingham's Art", '' George Caleb Bingham: River Portraitist'' by John Francis McDermott, reviewed by Holger Cahill. p. ?. *''New York Herald Tribune'' book review. July 10, 1960. "He Gambled and Pioneered, and Fathered a Painter", ''Son of a Gamblin Man'' by Mari Sandoz.

References

External links