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How did Barr's diagram place Cubism within the history of modern art?

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Neue Staatsgalerie in Stuttgart, designed by Sir James Stirling, featuring tan stone walls, a slanted green-framed glass window, and colorful blue and pink railings. — Museum of modern art The New State Gallery (Neue Staatsgalerie), Stuttgart, Germany, designed by James Stirling, completed in 1984.

Alfred H. Barr, Jr.’s famous flowchart, which first appeared on the dust jacket of the 1936 Museum of Modern Art exhibition catalog Cubism and Abstract Art, served as a foundational visual guide for understanding the evolution of modern art.1

In this diagram, Cubism is positioned as the central, seminal movement of the avant-garde. Barr depicted it in the largest lettering, establishing it as the "orthodox formal high line" of modernism. According to his schema:2

Origins: Cubism is shown as deriving from the work of Paul Cézanne, Neo-Impressionism, and Henri Rousseau.2
Progression: It is presented as leading directly into Suprematism, Constructivism, and De Stijl, ultimately culminating in abstract art.2

By prioritizing this formalist lineage, Barr’s diagram effectively marginalized other significant movements, such as German Expressionism, Dadaism, and Surrealism, by shunting them to the side. While historically influential in shaping the canon of modern art, the diagram is now often viewed as an academic and prejudiced interpretation that reflects a one-dimensional, formalist focus.21