Paintings and sculpture in Gallery 337 represent two important trends in early 20th century American art: the emphasis on everyday American subject matter and the appeal of new modern approaches to representation. Although the artists associated with these ideas were generally understood to exist in opposition to one another, grouping their work together in this space reveals that both employed visual strategies like simplification and abstraction, and both took their inspiration from American subjects.

The American Highlights installation was curated by Janeen Turk, senior curatorial assistant.