20th century art: 10 questions

1. What was the name of the Russian artist (later a French citizen) who is credited with the development of the first purely abstract paintings?
2. Which American artist began his career as a designer of war posters, and later became famous for his paintings of American life in the mid-20th century, and his landscapes of the Cape Cod area where he lived most of his life?
3. What nationality was Egon Schiele, a protege of Gustav Klimt and famous for his highly expressive portraiture?
4. Which British artist, famous for paintings such as “Going to The Match” (1928), was sceptical of the honours system, and holds the record for the most honours rejected by a British citizen (5)?
5. Which 20th century art movement is Roy Liechtenstein considered a leading exponent of?
6. What is displayed in MArcel Duchamp’s famous piece “Fountain”?
7. What 1931 painting introduced Salvador Dali’s famous melting clocks to the world?
8. Which colour characterizes the first of Pablo Picasso’s “periods”, lasting from approximately 1901-1904?
9. Which artist created the image of a banana which was used on the cover of the iconic self-titled album by the Velvet Underground?
10. Which Scottish artist, self-taught and raised in poverty, created the famous 1992 image “The Singing Butler, which became one of the best-selling images in Britain despite having originally been rejected by the Royal Academy for it’s summer exhibition?

Answers below (scroll down)

1. What was the name of the Russian artist (later a French citizen) who is credited with the development of the first purely abstract paintings?
   A: Wassily Kandinsky
2. Which American artist began his career as a designer of war posters, and later became famous for his paintings of American life in the mid-20th century, and his landscapes of the Cape Cod area where he lived most of his life?
   A: Edward Hopper
3. What nationality was Egon Schiele, a protege of Gustav Klimt and famous for his highly expressive portraiture?
   A: Austrian
4. Which British artist, famous for paintings such as “Going to The Match” (1928), was sceptical of the honours system, and holds the record for the most honours rejected by a British citizen (5)?
   A: L.S. Lowry
5. Which 20th century art movement is Roy Liechtenstein considered a leading exponent of?
   A: Pop Art
6. What is displayed in Marcel Duchamp’s famous piece “Fountain”?
   A: A urinal
7. What 1931 painting introduced Salvador Dali’s famous melting clocks to the world?
   A: The Persistence of Memory
8. Which colour characterizes the first of Pablo Picasso’s “periods”, lasting from approximately 1901-1904?
   A: Blue
9. Which artist created the image of a banana which was used on the cover of the iconic self-titled album by the Velvet Underground?
   A: Andy Warhol
10. Which Scottish artist, self-taught and raised in poverty, created the famous 1992 image “The Singing Butler, which became one of the best-selling images in Britain despite having originally been rejected by the Royal Academy for it’s summer exhibition?
    A: Jack Vettriano

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