"American Modernism: 20th Century Influencers in Rockland" presents art by luminaries who lived in Rockland county from the 1910s through the 1960s. Modernism presented a radical break with the rigid structures of the past, prompting a search for new forms of expression that fostered a period of experimentation in the arts. This exhibition explores preeminent artists from all disciplines and how they brought Modernist thinking and influences to Rockland County – and American masterpieces to the larger world.

The local Rockland landscape influenced many residents over the course of the 20th century and, in turn, the artists and intellectuals who found inspiration here influenced one another.

Artists include Edith Cockcroft, Joel Corcos Levy, Arthur B. Davies, Sari Dienes, Carroll French, Maurice Heaton, Karen Karnes, Morris Kantor, Herb Katzman, Mary Mowbray-Clarke, Richard Pousette-Dart, Ruth Reeves, Hugo Robus, Gilbert Rose, Martha Ryther, Vaclav Vytlacil, Henry Varnum Poor, and Eva Zeisel. Today, the impact of these innovators continues to reverberate on both a local and international scale.