The article revisits the collection of Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, a pioneering collector of American folk art, and its current exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). It highlights how Rockefeller's acquisitions, ranging from quilts and weather vanes to paintings and sculptures, helped elevate folk art from a decorative curiosity to a respected category within the modern art canon.
This reassessment matters because it challenges traditional hierarchies in art history, showing how folk art influenced modernist aesthetics and how collectors like Rockefeller shaped institutional taste. By bringing these works into MoMA's narrative, the exhibition underscores the ongoing dialogue between vernacular and fine art, prompting viewers to reconsider what qualifies as 'art' in the museum context.