The article reviews David Boyd Haycock's slim new book 'Art-Quake, 1910,' which examines the explosive 1910 exhibition 'Manet and the Post-Impressionists' at London's Grafton Galleries. The show introduced British audiences to revolutionary artists like Cézanne, van Gogh, Gauguin, Matisse, and Picasso, provoking outrage from critics and the public, who called the works 'evil,' 'hysterical,' and a threat to civilization. The book is part of a series from Old Street publishing that also includes titles on the Degenerate Art exhibition and the Cultural Revolution.
The story matters because it revisits a pivotal moment when modern art first confronted a hostile British establishment, reshaping public taste and paving the way for acceptance of avant-garde movements. By framing the exhibition as a cultural 'bomb,' the article highlights how shock and ridicule often precede artistic canonization, and it connects historical art controversies to ongoing debates about what art should be allowed to challenge society.