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Tuesday 10am - 5:30pm Wednesday 10am - 5:30pm Thursday 10am - 5:30pm Friday 10am - 5:30pm Saturday 10am - 5:30pm

Modernism Inc.

Founded in 1979, Modernism has since presented over 500 exhibitions of modern and contemporary art.

About MODERNISM

Founded in 1979, Modernism has since presented more than 450 exhibitions of modern and contemporary art, in media ranging from painting to photography, sculpture to performance and video art, by an international roster of artists. Throughout its 40 years, owner Martin Muller has striven to keep the gallery's challenging, museum quality program at the forefront of the art world. Ea

rly landmarks included being the first gallery to show Andy Warhol in the Bay Area (1982), and holding the first exhibition on the West Coast (in a gallery or museum) of the Russian Avant-Garde 1910-1930 (1980, 17 more retrospectives have since been mounted). In the 1990s Modernism highlighted its strong abstract program with the exhibition of "Four Abstract Classicists" (1993), a recreation of the show presented by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in 1959, while at the same time introducing America to the confrontational, and ofttimes disturbing, conceptual works of Austrian born artist Gottfried Helnwein (1992). This year Modernism will celebrate its 40th anniversary, and with it many more firsts of recent years, including the first major exhibition of the works of Le Corbusier on the West Coast(2003), and in 2006, the first major retrospective in the U.S. of the paintings, drawing, collages, and photographs of Erwin Blumenfeld. In addition to the milestones above, Modernism prides itself on the scope of its program:

Historical exhibitions encompass areas including Dada, Cubism, Surrealism, Vorticism, German Expressionism, and foremost, the Russian Avant-Garde 1910-1930. The contemporary program features rotating shows, six to seven weeks in duration, of the nearly 50 gallery artists—including various representational and abstract modes, sociopolitical, and conceptual works—presented at both Modernism and Modernism West, as well as at art fairs in the United States and Europe. Modernism publishes numerous books, monographs, catalogs, and fine art editions. Modernism is a member of the prestigious Art Dealers Association of America and the San Francisco Art Dealer's Association. Staff

Martin Muller, President

Danielle Beaulieu, Director

David Pen*ston, Registrar

Harlee Mollenkopf, Gallery Assistant

Lexi Paulson, Gallery Assistant

Allyson Beaulieu, Gallery Assistant

08/29/2026

Modernism remembers Dolly Parton, whose extraordinary cultural legacy was matched by a profound commitment to literacy. In 1995, she founded the Imagination Library, inspired by her father’s inability to read and write. What began in her native Tennessee grew into an international program that has placed hundreds of millions of books in the hands of children. As a gallery deeply invested in books and publishing, we honor Parton’s enduring belief in the transformative power of reading and the remarkable legacy she leaves behind.

Artwork: Andy WARHOL, “Dolly,” 1985, Synthetic polymer and screen print on canvas

Image courtesy of Crystal Bridges & Edward C. Robison III

Art Dealers Association of America (ADAA) SFADA

08/26/2026

Shop limited edition lithographs, apparel and objects from the “Mel Ramos: Iconography of American Beauty” exhibition at the link in our bio.

The exhibition is on view through November 22, 2026 at the Palazzo Bragadin Carabba in Venice.

Image courtesy of Marco Pavan

Rochelle Leininger vcontemporary.art Ronald Harrar Art Dealers Association of America (ADAA) SFADA

08/20/2026

Select works from “Jerry KEARNS: Zero-Sum” are on view now at Modernism West / Foreign Cinema, showcasing Kearns’s appropriation of popular culture, film, cartoons and advertising in a nuanced examination of contemporary life.

See the link in our bio to preview the work.

Artwork: Jerry KEARNS, “Sneak,” 2022, acrylic on panel

Jerry Kearns Foreign Cinema Art Dealers Association of America (ADAA) SFADA

08/15/2026

ON VIEW – “Sheldon GREENBERG: Idylls,” now through August 29

Verdant, whimsical and enigmatic, Sheldon Greenberg’s newest paintings construct abstracted, idyllic environments that exist somewhere between observation and imagination.

Inspired in part by the paintings of Edward Hopper, Greenberg employs the chair as a stand-in for the human presence. Occupying the space where a figure might traditionally appear, it suggests habitation while remaining anonymous. Detached from the specificity of portraiture, the chair becomes a metaphor for the figure rather than a depiction of one, allowing viewers to enter the scene without the distractions of narrative or identity. Saturated with warmth and infused with the imagery of gardens and sunlit interiors, they offer spaces of contemplation where perception becomes fluid.

As Greenberg explains, “my intention for the paintings is the play of realism and abstraction of the space, sort of like a dream state where things don’t necessarily fit together in reality.”

In “Idylls,” Greenberg transforms the familiar language of landscape and interior painting into something more interesting: places that feel remembered rather than observed.

Preview the work at the link in our bio.

Artwork: Sheldon GREENBERG, “The Hot Seat,” 2025, acrylic on canvas

Sheldon Greenberg Art Dealers Association of America (ADAA) SFADA

08/12/2026

Experience celestial-inspired works like this pastel on paper by Peter Gutkin in Modernism’s group show “Field Notes” on view now through August 29.

Preview the exhibition at the link in bio.

Artwork: Peter GUTKIN, “Helios IV,” 2026, pastel on paper

Peter Gutkin Art Dealers Association of America (ADAA) SFADA

08/07/2026

A striking example of the mastery that defines Gottfried Helnwein’s work.

Artwork: Gottfried HELNWEIN, “Mollie,” 2022, oil & acrylic on canvas

Gottfried Helnwein Art Dealers Association of America (ADAA) SFADA

08/05/2026

Jonathon Keats recently joined Emily Wilson on the Art is Awesome podcast to discuss his recent project “Centuries of the Bristlecone.” Developed in collaboration with the Long Now Foundation and the Nevada Museum of Art, the work establishes a time system based on the growth cycles of ancient bristlecone pines, exploring the relationship between human timekeeping and the rhythms of the natural world.

Pictured here is Keats’s arboreal calendar, “Centuries of the Bristlecone,” installed at the Nevada Museum of Art, where it will remain on view through 5026.

Listen to the episode at the link in our bio.

artisawesome_podcast Art Dealers Association of America (ADAA) SFADA

07/31/2026

Martin Muller and Peter Gutkin at the opening reception of “Field Notes.”

Pictured here are Gutkin’s sculptures “Straight Up I,” “Zap” and “Three-Sixty,” with oil on canvas “Flags” by Victor Reyes.

See the exhibition now through August 29.

Preview the work at the link in our bio.

Peter Gutkin Victor Reyes Art Dealers Association of America (ADAA) SFADA

07/28/2026

Bookshelf Highlights: Books play an integral part of our daily life and work at Modernism. We are pleased to share with you some of our treasured volumes.

Today we present “Ledentu le Phare,” the 1923 landmark work by Georgian-born poet, writer, publisher and typographer Iliya Zdanevich (Iliazd). Published in 1923 by Éditions du 41°, Paris, the book exemplifies the radical experimentation of the avant-garde, uniting Zaum poetry with innovative typographic design. “Ledentu le Phare” transforms language into a visual experience, with dynamic page compositions that challenge conventional reading. Regarded as one of the great achievements of twentieth-century artists’ books, it reflects Iliazd’s enduring influence on modern typography, bookmaking and the intersection of literature and visual art.

The copy pictured above is from the first edition (1923).

Art Dealers Association of America (ADAA) SFADA

Address

724 Ellis Street
San Francisco, CA
94109

Opening Hours

Tuesday	10am - 5:30pm
Wednesday	10am - 5:30pm
Thursday	10am - 5:30pm
Friday	10am - 5:30pm
Saturday	10am - 5:30pm

Telephone

+14155410461

Website

http://modernisminc.com/exhibitions

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