In 1948 Barnett Newman began painting in a new and unique format. Abandoning the use of various other abstract elements on the canvas, Newman instead laid down one or more vertical bands, usually with the help of masking tape. These "zips," as he came to call them, become the organizing principle behind the work, the decisive elements that structure the entire picture.
Concord was painted during Newman's most prolific year. He exhibited the painting in his first solo exhibition at Betty Parsons Gallery in 1950, which was installed with the help of his friend, Mark Rothko. Concord's green layer of paint is uncharacteristically brushy, and it was perhaps with its atmospheric wash in mind that Newman titled the picture after the town famous for Henry David Thoreau's Walden, where he and his wife, Annalee, had honeymooned fourteen years earlier.
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Inscription: Signed and dated (recto, lower right): Barnett Newman 1949
the artist, New York (1949–59; sold in 1959 to Parsons); [Betty Parsons Gallery, New York, 1959–68; sold to MMA]
New York. Betty Parsons Gallery. "Barnett Newman," January 23–February 11, 1950, no catalogue.
Kunsthalle Basel. "Die neue amerikanische Malerei," April 19–May 26, 1958, no. 52 (as "Zusammenklang").
Milan. Galleria Civica d'Arte Moderna. "The New American Painting / La nuova pittura americana," June 1–29, 1958, no. 52 (ill. upside down).
Madrid. Museo Nacional de Arte Contemporáneo. "La nueva pintura americana," July 16–August 11, 1958, no. 51 (as "Concordia," ill. upside down).
Berlin. Hochschule für Bildende Künste. "Die neue amerikanische Malerei," September 1–October 1, 1958, no. 52 (as "Zusammenklang").
Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. "Jong America schildert," October 17–November 24, 1958, no. 52 (as "Harmonie," lent by Betty Parsons, New York).
Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels. "The New American Painting / La Nouvelle Peinture américaine," December 6, 1958–January 4, 1959, no. 52.
Paris. Musée National d'Art Moderne. "Jackson Pollock et la nouvelle peinture américaine," January 16–February 15, 1959, no. 51.
London. Tate Gallery. "The New American Painting As Shown in Eight European Countries 1958–1959," February 24–March 23, 1959, no. 51 (lent by Mrs. Betty Parsons, New York).
Museum of Modern Art, New York. "The New American Painting As Shown in Eight European Countries 1958–1959," May 28–September 8, 1959, no. 51 (lent by Mrs. Betty Parsons, New York).
Vienna. Galerie Wurthle. "Amerikanische maler der gegenwart," June 19–July 8, 1961.
Salzburg, Austria. Zwerglgarten. "Amerikanische maler der gegenwart," July 10–August 31, 1961.
Belgrade, Yugoslavia. Kalemegdan Pavilion. "Savremena američka umetnost," September 15–October 1, 1961.
Skoplje, Yugoslavia. Umetnicki Pavilion. "Savremena američka umetnost," October 14–29, 1961.
Zagreb, Yugoslavia. Moderna Galerija, Zagreb. "Savremena američka umetnost," November 9–20, 1961.
Maribor, Yugoslavia. Umetnostna Galerija. "Savremena američka umetnost," November 25–December 4, 1961.
Ljubljana, Yugoslavia. Moderna Galerija, Ljubljana. "Savremena američka umetnost," December 11, 1961–January 7, 1962.
Rijeka, Yugoslavia. location unknown. "Savremena američka umetnost," January 13–31, 1962.
London. American Embassy, USIS Gallery. "Vanguard American Painting," February 28–March 30, 1962, no. 54 (lent by Mrs. Betty Parsons, New York).
New York. American Federation of Arts Gallery. "The Educational Alliance Art School Retrospective Art Exhibit," April 29–May 18, 1963, unnumbered cat. (lent by Mrs. Betty Parsons).
Philadelphia. Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania. "The Decisive Years, 1943–1953," January 14–March 1, 1965, unnumbered cat. (lent by Betty Parsons).
Providence, R. I. Annmary Brown Memorial, Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design and Providence Arts Club. "Critics' Choice: Art Since World War II. 1965 Kane Memorial Exhibition in Honor of Brown University," March 31–April 24, 1965, no. 52 (lent by Mrs. Betty Parsons, N.Y.C.).
São Paulo. United States of America Pavilion. "VIII Bienal da Fundaçâo Bienal," September 4–November 28, 1965, no. 1 (lent by Mrs. Betty Parsons).
Washington D.C. National Collection of Fine Arts, Smithsonian Institution. "VIII São Paulo Biennial: United States of America," January 27–March 6, 1966, no. 1.
New York. Finch College Museum of Art. "Betty Parsons' Private Collection," March 13–April 24, 1968, no. 36.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "New York Painting and Sculpture: 1940–1970," October 18, 1969–February 8, 1970, no. 264.
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. "Masterpieces of Painting in The Metropolitan Museum of Art," September 16–November 1, 1970, not in catalogue.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Masterpieces of Fifty Centuries," November 14, 1970–June 1, 1971, not in catalogue.
Museum of Modern Art, New York. "Barnett Newman," October 21, 1971–January 10, 1972, unnumbered cat. (opp. p. 60).
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Patterns of Collecting: Selected Acquisitions, 1965–1975," December 6, 1975–March 23, 1976, unnum. brochure (p. 50).
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Recent Acquisitions from the Department of Twentieth Century Art," October 16, 1979–January 30, 1980, no catalogue.
Lincoln, Mass. deCordova and Dana Museum and Park. "Henry David Thoreau as a Source for Artistic Inspiration," June 6–September 9, 1984, unnumbered cat. (p. 39).
Buffalo. Albright-Knox Art Gallery. "Abstract Expressionism: The Critical Developments," September 19–November 29, 1987, no. 48.
New York. Pace Gallery. "Barnett Newman: Paintings," April 8–May 7, 1988, no. 7.
Lawrence Alloway. "The New American Painting." Art International 3 (March–April 1959), p. 22.
Henry Geldzahler. American Painting in the Twentieth Century. New York, 1965, p. 189.
Walter Hopps. The United States of America. Exh. cat., National Collection of Fine Arts, Smithsonian Institution. [Pasadena, Calif.], 1965, unpaginated, no. 1, ill. (color), [catalogue for Washington venue of VIII São Paulo Bienal].
Andrew Hudson. "Newman Brings Grandeur to Town." Washington Post (January 30, 1966), p. G9.
Barbara Rose. American Art Since 1900: A Critical History. New York, 1967, p. 193, fig. 7–4.
Rosalind Constable. "The Betty Parsons Collection." Art News 67 (March 1968), p. 59.
Henry Geldzahler. New York Painting and Sculpture: 1940–1970. Exh. cat., The Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York, 1969, pp. 31, 54, no. 264, ill. p. 94 (color).
Henry Geldzahler in "Reports of the Departments." Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin 28 (October 1969), pp. 63–64, ill.
Mahonri Sharp Young. "The Metropolitan Museum of Art Centenary Exhibitions I. The New York School." Apollo 90 (November 1969), p. 430, fig. 3.
Lawrence Alloway. "Notes on Barnett Newman." Art International 13 (Summer 1969), p. 35.
Barbara Goldsmith. "How Henry Made 43 Artists Immortal." New York Magazine 2 (October 13, 1969), p. 49.
Barbara Reise. "The Stance of Barnett Newman." Studio International 179 (February 1970), pp. 51–53, fig. 9.
Thomas B. Hess. Barnett Newman. Exh. cat., Museum of Modern Art, New York. New York, 1971, pp. 58, 65–66, 89, ill. facing p. 60 (color).
Jeanne Siegel. "Around Barnett Newman." Art News 70 (October 1971), p. 43.
Nora B. Beeson. Guide to The Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York, 1972, p. 287.
John McLean. "Of Limited Means." Guardian (June 28, 1972), p. 12, calls it "Concorde".
Sam Hunter and John Jacobus. American Art of the 20th Century: Painting, Sculpture, Architecture. New York, 1973, fig. 435 (color).
Charles Harrison. "Abstract Expressionism II." Studio International 185 (February 1973), p. 55.
Benjamin Garrison Paskus. "The Theory, Art and Critical Reception of Barnett Newman." PhD diss., University of North Carolina, 1974, pp. 93–97, 137, 144, 155–56.
Henry Geldzahler in "Twentieth Century Art." The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Notable Acquisitions, 1965–1975. New York, 1975, p. 209, ill., states that this painting was the first Newman acquired by the MMA.
Michèle Cone. The Roots and Routes of Art in the 20th Century. New York, 1975, pp. 194, 205.
John Russell. The Meanings of Modern Art. Vol. 10, America Redefined. New York, 1975, p. 37, colorpl. XI.
Olga Raggio et al. Patterns of Collecting: Selected Acquisitions 1965–1975. Explanatory Texts. Exh. brochure, The Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York, 1975, p. 50.
John Hallmark Neff. "A Barnett Newman for Detroit." Bulletin of the Detroit Institute of Arts 56, no. 3 (1978), p. 159.
David M. Quick. "Meaning in the Art of Barnett Newman and Three of His Contemporaries: A Study of Content in Abstract Expressionism." PhD diss., University of Iowa, 1978, p. 73 n. 22, pp. 80, 191–92, fig. 6.
Brenda Richardson. Barnett Newman: The Complete Drawings, 1944–1969. Exh. cat., Baltimore Museum of Art. Baltimore, 1979, p. 164 under no. 63.
Barbara Cavaliere. "Barnett Newman." Flash Art nos. 96–97 (March–April 1980), ill. p. 6.
John Russell. The Meanings of Modern Art. New York, 1981, pp. 322–23, ill.
Lowery S. Sims inProfil du Metropolitan Museum of Art de New York: de Ramsès à Picasso. Exh. cat., Galerie des Beaux-Arts, Bordeaux. Bordeaux, 1981, p. 167.
Lily Mark. "The Relevance of Title to Form and Content in the Mature Work of Barnett Newman." PhD diss., University of Witwatersrand, 1983, pp. 54–56, 108, 123, 153, 167, 191, fig. 12.
Francine Amy Koslow. Henry David Thoreau as a Source for Artistic Inspiration. Exh. cat., deCordova and Dana Museum and Park. Lincoln, Mass., 1984, pp. 5, 38–39, ill. (color).
Lowery Stokes Sims inIn the Mind's Eye: Dada and Surrealism. Ed. Terry Ann R. Neff. Exh. cat., Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. New York, 1985, p. 94, fig. 2.
Eugene Victor Thaw. "The Abstract Expressionists." Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin 44 (Winter 1986–87), pp. 33, 37, fig. 29 (color).
David Sylvester inAbstract Expressionism: The Critical Developments. Ed. Michael Auping. Exh. cat., Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo. New York, 1987, p. 137, no. 48, ill. p. 215 (color).
Michael Zakian. "Barnett Newman and the Sublime." Arts Magazine 62 (February 1988), ill. p. 38.
Elizabeth Frank. "At the Galleries." Partisan Review 55 (Fall 1988), p. 632.
Michael Kimmelman. "Newman's Quest for a Vocabulary." New York Times (April 15, 1988), p. C20.
Roland van den Berghe. "Piet Mondrian und Barnett Newman." Die Wirklichkeit des Geistigen in der abstrakten Kunst. Stuttgart, 1988, pp. 72, 74.
Yve-Alain Bois. Barnet Newman: Paintings. Exh. cat., Pace Gallery. New York, 1988, p. VII, no. 7, ill. (color).
Jean-Louis Ferrier with Yann le Pichon. Art of Our Century: The Chronicle of Western Art, 1900 to the Present. [French ed. 1988]. New York, 1989, p. 477.
Yve-Alain Bois. Painting as Model. Cambridge, Mass., 1990, p. 201, fig. 74.
David Anfam. Abstract Expressionism. New York, 1990, p. 149.
Patrick Negri. "Signs of Being: A Study of the Religious Significance of the Art of Barnett Newman, Jackson Pollock, and Mark Rothko." PhD diss., Graduate Theological Union, 1990, pp. 162–63, fig. 4.
Stephen Polcari. Abstract Expressionism and the Modern Experience. Cambridge, 1991, pp. 197, 205–6, colorpl. 13.
Richard Shiff. "Readings: Break Dancing." Arts Magazine 65 (April 1991), p. 35 n. 2.
Harold Rosenberg. Barnett Newman. 2nd ed. [1st ed. 1978]. New York, 1994, p. 67, figs. 33 (color), 114 (installation view Exh. NY 1969–70).
Stephen Polcari. "Barnett Newman's 'Broken Obelisk'." Art Journal 53 (Winter 1994), p. 52.
Michael Kimmelman. "At the Met and the Modern with Richard Serra: One Provocateur Inspired by Another." New York Times (August 11, 1995), p. C26.
Michael Leja. "Barnett Newman's Solo Tango." Critical Inquiry 21 (Spring 1995), pp. 571–72, figs. 7–8 (overall and detail), 10 (detail).
Mollie McNickle. "The Mind and Art of Barnett Newman." PhD diss., University of Pennsylvania, 1996, pp. 238–39.
Adrian Lewis. "Barnett Newman, Abstract Expressionism and American Cultural Conventions." Representing and Imagining America. Ed. Philip John Davies. Keele, Staffordshire, 1996, pp. 161–62.
Briony Fer. On Abstract Art. New Haven, 1997, p. 158.
Michael Kimmelman. Portraits: Talking with Artists at the Met, the Modern, the Louvre and Elsewhere. New York, 1998, p. 59.
Michael Leja inMonet in the 20th Century. Ed. Paul Hayes Tucker and Mary Anne Stevens. Exh. cat., Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Boston, 1998, p. 102, fig. 78 (color).
Stephen Polcari in Susan Chevlowe. Comman Man, Mythic Vision: The Paintings of Ben Shahn. Exh. cat., Jewish Museum, New York. New York, 1998, p. 103, fig. 57.
Armin Zweite. Barnett Newman: Paintings, Sculptures, Works on Paper. Exh. cat., Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen. Ostfildern–Ruit, Germany, 1999, pp. 86–88, fig. 25.
Pierre Schneider. Petite histoire de l'infini en peinture. [Paris], 2001, pp. 302–3, fig. 173.
Peter de Bolla. Art Matters. Cambridge, Mass., 2001, pp. 36–37, fig. 6 (color).
Ann Temkin inBarnett Newman. Ed. Ann Temkin. Exh. cat., Philadelphia Museum of Art. Philadelphia, 2002, pp. 35, 37, 48, 57, figs. 15 (installation photo, Exh. New York 1950), 16 (color).
David Anfam. "Philadelphia and London: Barnett Newman." Burlington Magazine 144 (September 2002), p. 583.
Martin Gayford. "Being in a Field." Modern Painters 15 (Autumn 2002), p. 65.
Ann Temkin, Suzanne Penn, and Melissa Ho inBarnett Newman. Ed. Ann Temkin. Exh. cat., Philadelphia Museum of Art. Philadelphia, 2002, p. 174 under no. 40.
Melissa Ho inBarnett Newman. Ed. Ann Temkin. Exh. cat., Philadelphia Museum of Art. Philadelphia, 2002, p. 327, fig. 93 (installation photo, Exh. Basel 1958).
Richard Shiff. "To Create Oneself." Barnett Newman: A Catalogue Raisonné. New York and New Haven, 2004, p. 109 n. 114, fig. 21 (installation photo, Exh. Basel and tour 1958).
Carol C. Mancusi–Ungaro. "The Paintings of Barnett Newman: 'Involved Intuition on the Highest Level'." Barnett Newman: A Catalogue Raisonné. New York and New Haven, 2004, pp. 123, 134, fig. 87 (color), suggests that the artist thinned this work's paint with rags and purposefully left evidence of his brushwork.
Heidi Colsman–Freyberger. "Catalogue Raisonné." Barnett Newman: A Catalogue Raisonné. New York and New Haven, 2004, pp. 184–85, no. 20, ill. (color).
Yve-Alain Bois. "On Two Paintings by Barnett Newman." October 108 (Spring 2004), pp. 5, 23, 26, 29–31, states that the artist chose this work and three others ("Abraham," 1949, Museum of Modern Art, New York; "Horizon Light," 1949, Philadelphia Museum of Art; "Adam," 1951–52, Tate, London) for Exh. Basel and tour 1958.
Melissa Ho. "Talk and the Untalkable." Reconsidering Barnett Newman: A Symposium at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Ed. Melissa Ho. Philadelphia, 2005, p. 7.
Yve-Alain Bois. "Newman's Laterality." Reconsidering Barnett Newman: A Symposium at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Ed. Melissa Ho. Philadelphia, 2005, p. 37.
Carol Mancusi-Ungaro. "Barnett Newman's Pilgrimage in Paint." Reconsidering Barnett Newman: A Symposium at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Ed. Melissa Ho. Philadelphia, 2005, pp. 75–76.
Pierre Schneider. "Flat Forms, Deep Thoughts: Newman on Géricault." Reconsidering Barnett Newman: A Symposium at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Ed. Melissa Ho. Philadelphia, 2005, p. 143.
Gabriele Schor. "Barnett Newman's 'Here' Series: A Meditation on Sense of Place, or How Can a Sculpture Say 'I'?" Reconsidering Barnett Newman: A Symposium at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Ed. Melissa Ho. Philadelphia, 2005, pp. 149–50, 152, 158 n. 9, fig. 80, suggests that the artist's sculpture "Here I" (1950, Menil Collection, Houston) "arose from a fusion of 'Concord' and 'The Promise' " (1949, New York, Whitney Museum of American Art).
David Anfam inAbstract Expressionism and Other Modern Works: The Muriel Kallis Steinberg Newman Collection in The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Ed. Gary Tinterow, Lisa Mintz Messinger, and Nan Rosenthal. Exh. cat., The Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York, 2007, pp. 187–88, fig. 40 (color).
James Lawrence. "New Information on Barnett Newman's Exhibition History, 1948–52." Burlington Magazine 150 (July 2008), pp. 474–75, fig. 48 (installation photo of Exh. New York 1950).
Éric Valentin. Barnett Newman: Splendeur mystique et horreur absolue. Paris, 2015, p. 84.
Kathryn Calley Galitz. The Metropolitan Museum of Art Masterpiece Paintings. New York, 2016, p. 530, ill. (color), colorpl. 470.
Max Hollein. Modern and Contemporary Art in The Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York, 2019, ill. p. 93 (color).
Kelly Baum inMaking The Met, 1870–2020. Ed. Andrea Bayer with Laura D. Corey. Exh. cat., The Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York, 2020, pp. 219, 256, fig. 234 (color).
Beatriz Cordero inThe Irascibles: Painters Against the Museum, New York, 1950. Ed. Bradford R. Collins et al. Exh. cat., Fundación Juan March. Madrid, 2020, p. 85.
In this interview, author and curator Amelia Peck discusses the history of quilting in Gee's Bend, Alabama, and how these works of art have historically been misunderstood.
Barnett Newman (American, New York 1905–1970 New York)
1961
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