Revolution Of The Eye: Avant-Garde Art for the Masses
Rod Serling and Ernie Kovacs, two of television's greatest impresarios, were especially attuned to modernism. Serling's groundbreaking show, The Twilight Zone, and Kovacs's innovative TV series and specials revealed a nuanced understanding of modernist aesthetics. Neither Serling's nor Kovacs's interest in modern art was simply stylistic.
Both embraced avant-garde ideas that broached broad social or cultural issues—from the politics of the Cold War to the corporate ambitions of the networks themselves. In the end, their work was artful and sophisticated, exemplifying the best of early television.
You can see examples of their innovative work through January 10, 2016 at NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale in the exhibition Revolution of the Eye: Modern Art and the Birth of American Television.
Revolution of the Eye: Modern Art and the Birth of American Television is organized by the Jewish Museum, New York, and the Center of Art, Design, and Visual Culture, University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). The exhibition is made possible by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, The Skirball Fund for American Jewish Life Exhibitions, the Stern Family Philanthropic Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and other generous donors.
The exhibition at NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale is presented by AutoNation.
Additional support provided by the Lynn and Louis Wolfson II Family Foundation.