Exhibitions > The Washington Color Painters

November 21, 2009 through January 23, 2010

Kenneth Noland Bell, 1959 Acrylic on canvas Kresge Art Museum, Michigan State University Gift of the artist, 67.2

The Academy Art Museum will host a two-part exhibition on the work of the Washington Color Field. In the Lederer Gallery, Curator, Brian Young will focus on the six artists that participated in the groundbreaking exhibition from 1965 entitled The Washington Color Painters. These artists are Gene Davis, Thomas Downing, Howard Mehring, Kenneth Noland, Paul Reed and Morris Louis. Eschewing discernable, traditional subject matter, these artists emphasized the relationship between color and form as they applied water-based pigment to untreated canvas. In the Healy Gallery, a complementary exhibition is entitled the Washington Color School showcasing those artists who were seen as later participants in the movement or with affinities to it including Anne Truitt, Sam Gilliam, Jacob Kainen, James Hilleary and others. Public tours of the exhibition will be held at 11am on December 1, 2009, 12noon on December 16, 2009 and 12noon on January 5, 2010.

Sculptural Works by the Washington Colorfield

November 21, 2009 - January 23, 2010

Not particularly known for their sculptural work, this exhibitions will give viewers a rare look at three-dimensional work created by Washington Colorfield artists including Sam Gilliam, James Hilleary and Paul Reed.

Anne Truitt
Moon Lily, July 8, 1988
Academy Art Museum,
Promised gift of Dorsey Waxter in honor of
her parents, Arthur and Nancy Waxter