Neolithic childhood

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At the core of this exploration is the question of art's functions across time—present, past, and future. Modernist views sought to establish art's autonomy, sidelining its social and religious roles. However, this autonomy has been critiqued as potentially serving bourgeois capitalism, particularly by anti-modernist voices targeting the avant-garde and Surrealism. The aim during the tumultuous years from the 1920s to the 1940s was to restore a lost functionality of art. The accompanying publication delves into the strategies employed in this endeavor, such as the surrealist Primitivism and the excavation of humanity's deep past, as envisioned by Carl Einstein, who proposed a hallucinatory retro-utopia termed “Neolithic Childhood.” The volume includes essays from curators and academics, primary texts by Einstein, and comprehensive documentation of the exhibition, featuring lists of works, texts, images, and installation views. A glossary at the center elaborates on Einstein's theoretical vocabulary and related terms like Autonomy, Formalism, and Primitivisms. Contributions come from various scholars, and the book showcases artworks by notable artists, including Jean (Hans) Arp, Max Ernst, and Paul Klee, among others.