The Club (fine arts)
| Company type | Arts organization |
|---|---|
| Industry | Art, education, performance |
| Founded | 1949 |
| Founder | Philip Pavia |
| Defunct | 1970 |
| Headquarters | New York City , United States |
Area served | New York City, United States |
Key people | Philip Pavia, Willem de Kooning, Franz Kline, Isamu Noguchi, John Ferren, Robert Motherwell, Joseph Campbell, John Cage, Hannah Arendt |
| Products | Educational forums, lectures, panel discussions, art exhibitions, performances |
The Club (active 1949–1957 and 1959–1970) functioned as a multifaceted institution—part educational forum, part theater, gallery, and dance venue. Founded by the abstract expressionist sculptor Philip Pavia, it originated from informal meetings among painters and sculptors working in Lower Manhattan during the late 1940s and early 1950s. Its membership roster featured pivotal mid-20th-century artists such as Willem de Kooning, Franz Kline, Isamu Noguchi, John Ferren, and Robert Motherwell, alongside intellectuals like philosopher Joseph Campbell, composer John Cage, and political theorist Hannah Arendt. Designed to promote the development and exchange of ideas about art—particularly abstract expressionism—the Club played a crucial role in energizing New York’s artistic community, helping to establish the city as a global art capital on par with Paris.
Debating art
Described by The Boston Globe as an "outspoken avant-garde thinker," Philip Pavia initiated regular gatherings beginning in 1948 to engage in conversations about contemporary art. Drawing inspiration from Parisian salons and reflecting post-war American artistic aspirations, the 8th Street Club became a vital forum for discussions among artists, writers, and intellectuals. In 1958, Pavia extended the Club’s influence by founding It is. A Magazine for Abstract Art, a significant yet brief publication.
The Club initially centered its activities around biweekly lectures and exclusive panel discussions for members, addressing the ambition of American artists to establish their own voice distinct from European modernists who had settled in New York after World War II. Pavia recalled that these European émigrés included prominent figures such as Piet Mondrian, Max Ernst, and Marcel Duchamp. As these artists relocated uptown, American creators sought to forge an independent identity. Through Club-hosted lectures on expressionism and abstraction, artists like Pollock and de Kooning distanced themselves from surrealism, blending concepts that culminated in America’s first significant indigenous abstract art movement.
Carolyn Kinder Carr of the National Gallery summarizes that those associated with Abstract Expressionism rejected both the social realism and geometric abstraction dominant in the 1930s. Their work prioritized intangible concepts over representational forms; for some, including Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning, art was deeply autobiographical and emerged through the creative process itself. Others pursued an experience of the sublime. As Mark Rothko expressed, "art was not about an experience, but was itself the experience."
Louis Menand, writing for The New Yorker, emphasizes the vigorous formal experimentation characteristic of New York’s art scene between 1952 and 1965. He points out that Abstract Expressionism’s paradoxical nature—being simultaneously abstract and expressive—generated a dynamic interplay between abstraction and figuration that resulted in a wide array of innovative artworks.
History
Devin M. Brown, writing for Burnaway, describes The Club as a multifaceted space—part schoolhouse, part theater, gallery, and dancehall—after examining Pavia's Archive of Abstract and Expressionist Art housed at Emory University's Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library (MARBL). The collection reveals how different artistic disciplines intersected through conversations and performances. The venue regularly hosted concerts, dances, and theatrical events, while poets, composers, painters, sculptors, filmmakers, and critics engaged in aesthetic debates during the Club’s panel discussions.
Discussions at the Club spanned art and philosophy, drawing in prominent non-members such as Hannah Arendt, Joseph Campbell, and John Cage. It became a gathering point for both Abstractionists and Expressionists, contributing to the popularization of the term "Abstract-Expressionism." Notable members included Elaine de Kooning, Willem de Kooning, Barnett Newman, Robert Motherwell, Landes Lewitin, Aristodimos Kaldis, and Leo Castelli. Brown references Club Without Walls: Selections from the Journals of Philip Pavia, highlighting Pavia’s reflection: "If it wasn't for our persistent gatherings, I am sure we would have all become loners and faded away."
The Club arranged formal Friday evening lectures and panel discussions featuring invited artists and intellectuals, who were often compensated modestly or simply with a bottle of liquor. Among the distinguished guests were philosopher Hannah Arendt, literary scholar Joseph Campbell, historian of mathematics Jean Louis van Heijenoort, as well as composers Virgil Thomson and Morton Feldman. Additionally, the Club hosted informal rap sessions and celebrations following exhibition openings. Mary Gabriel notes frequent dancing at these events, quoting Philip Pavia’s vivid description: "Franz [Klein] and Joan [Mitchell] would dance 'until they rolled on the floor dancing horizontally.'"
Morgan Falconer from the Royal Academy of Arts blog supports this portrayal: "During the day artists worked; at night they gathered at 'The Club,' their exclusive forum for discussion, or danced in studios—performing the tango, jitterbug, even the kazatsky, a Russian folk dance favored by Communists in the 1930s."
The 1950s marked a crucial period for many artists involved with The Club; it strengthened their networks, enhanced their confidence, and elevated their societal standing. Yet as Abstract Expressionism rose to prominence within New York’s art scene and gained international acclaim, sustaining The Club became increasingly difficult. Various accounts differ on its conclusion—some suggest it ended by the late 1950s while others place its closure in the early 1960s—but its influence remains significant in this transformative chapter of New York and American art history.
Community
Initially called the Downtown Group, many artists affiliated with The Club had previously participated in the Federal Art Project. This included figures like Philip Pavia, Bill de Kooning, Landes Lewitin, Franz Kline, and Jack Tworkov. Several members were World War II veterans who had been gathering informally in Greenwich Village since the late 1930s before establishing a dedicated space. This broader collective featured artists such as Conrad Marca-Relli, Franz Kline, Joop Sanders, Milton Resnick, Giorgio Cavallon, Ibram Lassaw, Lutz Sanders, James Brooks, Lewin Alcopley, Frederick Kiesler, John Ferren (President in 1955), and James Rosati. Under Philip Pavia’s leadership, they leased a loft at 39 East 8th Street—a central location near the famed Cedar Tavern.
The official inauguration of The Club took place in October 1949. To mark this occasion, members hosted a Christmas celebration where large collages adorned walls and ceilings through New Year’s. This three-day affair symbolized a fresh wave of optimism and artistic camaraderie. "This is the beginning of the next half century," proclaimed Pavia.
Over time, The Club's membership came to include nearly all representatives of the New York School as well as those known as the Irascibles, who famously boycotted a major exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum due to its rejection of "advanced art," an act immortalized by Nina Leen’s photograph published in Life Magazine. As abstract expressionism evolved stylistically to incorporate movements like action painting, color field, lyrical abstraction, tachisme, and Nuagisme, The Club expanded accordingly. Lectures by luminaries such as Joseph Campbell, John Cage, and Hannah Arendt encouraged rich dialogues about art’s cultural significance and the artist’s societal role. Despite opposition to French Surrealist influences and formalist critiques prevalent at the time, these weekly meetings inspired critical initiatives like organizing the 9th Street Art Exhibition—a pivotal event launching many careers.
Painters and sculptors
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Other contributors
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Legacy
- The seminal essay "The American Action Painters" (1952) by art critic Harold Rosenberg originated from Club discussions led by Pavia that focused on the complexities of Abstract Expressionism.
- The groundbreaking Ninth Street Show, which marked the debut of the first American art movement with global significance, was organized during the Club's regular weekly forums.
- It is. A Magazine for Abstract Art, established by Pavia as a creative outlet driven by artists, drew inspiration from the Club and included contributions from nearly all its members.