How, When, and Why Modern Art Came to New York

Marius de Zayas (1880-1961), a Mexican artist and writer whose witty caricatures of New York's theater, dance, and social elite brought him to the attention of Alfred Stieglitz and his circle at "291," was among the most dedicated and effective propagandists of modern art during the early years of this century. How, When, and Why Modern Art Came to New York, originally written in the late 1940s, is a fascinating chronicle assembled from de Zayas's personal archive of photographs and from newspaper reviews of the exhibitions he discusses, beginning with those held at the Stieglitz gallery and including important shows mounted in his own galleries. An appendix added by the editor provides detailed information on the various exhibitions. Additional appendixes contain transcriptions of the de Zayas and Stieglitz correspondence, as well as an account of de Zayas's unique relationship with Picasso, a Spaniard with whom he felt a special kinship and whose work he would be among the first in America to promote and defend.