Inventing Abstraction (1910-1925) is an online project hosted by the Museum of Modern Art promoting the exhibition of the same name as well as offering up viewers an additional insight into the vast amount of connections between the very first abstract artists. The exhibition ran from December 23, 2012 to April 15, 2013.
The website maps out connections of the early abstract artists featured in the exhibition such as Francis Picabia, Hans Arp, Pablo Picasso, Marcel Duchamp, and Georgia O’ Keefe. The map uses information from the artists shown in the exhibition and creates vectors between artists whose interactions had been documented during the time period of 1910-1925. The information was organized so that each individual artist has his or her own separate page when you click on the name. The page includes birthplace, places worked, interests, his or her art work(s) included in the exhibit, and, for certain artists, short biographical essays. The artists with the most connections during this time period are highlighted red to display their significance in the context of early abstract art.
Along with the interactive map, the website also offers up different tabs for viewers to gather additional insight on abstract art and the program. The top tabs include “Artists” “Conversations” and “Program and Events.” The “Artists” tab creates an alphabetical directory of the artists included in the map. The “Conversations” tab includes different artists discuss a painting featured in the exhibition. The “Program and Events” section directs the viewers to additional events held by the museum in conjunction or related to the Inventing Abstraction exhibition. The bottom tabs include an “About Exhibition” section where viewers have the opportunity to learn more about the showing as well as links to PDF copies of the interactive map and a checklist of the works featured. A “Publication” tab is included to promote a publication of the exhibition. The credits for both the museum exhibition as well as the website are also included in the bottom tabs.
The website was created by Second Story Interactive Studios and uses interactive technology to help viewer navigate their way through the map as well as 3D technology to make the map more interesting to the eye. Viewers are able to zoom in and out of the map easily with a zoom function in the corner. The website uses a simple theme of red, black, and cream colors to keep the focus on the content. All together, the website serves its primary function of displaying the connective map while offering additional information in a clear and concise manner.