Modern Masters

Modern Master does not refer to an historical school, but to a commonly accepted group of celebrated individual artists working in the middle decades of the twentieth century each of whose work is widely considered as a truly outstanding achievement and of timeless importance. The term is widely used in order to signal this status to collectors.

It is obviously impossible to provide a comprehensive list of the Modern Masters. There are endless (and much enjoyed) debates about which artists merit inclusion, and we are sure that you will have some of your own ideas too.

However, the Modern Masters are commonly taken to include: Jean Arp, Georges Braque, Alexander Calder, Marc Chagall, Jean Dubuffet, Vassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Fernand Leger, Henri Matisse, Henry Moore, Pablo Picasso, and Andy Warhol .

Many of these artists will therefore also be found in relation to the art movements of this period. The artists may have started out from, led or inspired many of these movements. However their work and reputation as individuals, in the final analysis, rides above them.