Postwar Abstract Painting: “Art is a language in itself”

November 19, 2022 – January 21, 2023

1 of 27

Charles Alston (1907-1977)
Untitled, 1961
oil on canvas
50 x 30 inches / 127 x 76.2 cm
signed

Norman Bluhm (1921-1999)
Sendai, 1958
oil on canvas
54 x 72 inches / 137.2 x 182.9 cm
signed

Ilya Bolotowsky (1907-1981)
Variation in Blue, 1958
oil on canvas
32 7/8 x 23 inches / 83.5 x 58.4 cm
signed

James Brooks (1906-1992)
R-1951, 1951
oil on canvas
18 x 22 inches / 45.7 x 55.9 cm
signed

James Brooks (1906-1992)
Untitled, 1950
oil on canvas
40 x 36 inches / 101.6 x 91.4 cm
signed

Giorgio Cavallon (1904-1989)
Untitled, 1958
oil on canvas
28 1/4 x 24 inches / 71.8 x 61 cm
signed

Jay DeFeo (1929-1989)
Josho, 1984
oil on paper on canvas with collage
47 1/2 x 36 5/8 inches / 120.7 x 93 cm
signed

Beauford Delaney (1901-1979)
Untitled, c.1965
oil on canvas
51 x 38 inches / 129.5 x 96.5 cm
estate stamp

Burgoyne Diller (1906-1965)
Second Theme #127, c.1953-54
oil on canvas
48 1/8 x 48 1/8 inches / 122.2 x 122.2 cm

Claire Falkenstein (1908-1997)
Umqua, 1969
acrylic, oil and metallic paint on canvas
50 x 50 inches / 127 x 127 cm
signed

Perle Fine (1905-1988)
Untitled, 1957
oil, fabric, foil and paper collage on canvas
36 x 33 7/8 inches / 91.4 x 86 cm
signed

Fritz Glarner (1899-1972)
Relational Painting Tondo No. 65, 1965
oil on Masonite in artist's frame
28 3/8 x 28 3/8 inches / 72.1 x 72.1 cm
signed

Michael Goldberg (1924-2007)
Untitled, 1952
oil on canvas
14 x 14 inches / 35.6 x 35.6 cm
signed

Michael Goldberg (1924-2007)
Untitled, 1952-53
oil on canvas
69 x 65 inches / 175.3 x 165.1 cm
signed

Hans Hofmann (1880-1966)
Carnival, 1945
oil on board
30 1/2 x 41 1/2 inches / 77.5 x 105.4 cm
signed

Norman Lewis (1909-1979)
After Dawn, 1966
oil on canvas
49 1/2 x 60 inches / 125.7 x 152.4 cm
signed

Conrad Marca-Relli (1913-2000)
The Survival (L-4-57), 1957
oil and canvas collage on canvas
52 1/4 x 46 1/4 inches / 132.7 x 117.5 cm
signed

Robert Motherwell (1915-1991)
The Great Wall of China No. 3, 1971/c.1983
acrylic and charcoal on canvas
72 x 36 inches / 182.9 x 91.4 cm
signed

Alfonso Ossorio (1916-1990)
The Accusation, 1951
oil and enamel on canvas
28 3/4 x 39 1/2 inches / 73 x 100.3 cm
signed

Richard Pousette-Dart (1916-1992)
Burning Stars, 1984-85
acrylic on canvas
40 x 79 7/8 inches / 101.6 x 202.9 cm
signed

Milton Resnick (1917-2004)
Apparatus, 1958
oil on canvas
59 1/4 x 59 1/4 inches / 150.5 x 150.5 cm
signed

Theodoros Stamos (1922-1997)
Echo II, 1961
acrylic on canvas
51 7/8 x 56 inches / 131.8 x 142.2 cm
signed

Alma Thomas (1891-1978)
Phantasmagoria, 1973
acrylic on canvas
60 x 50 inches / 152.4 x 127 cm
signed

Jack Tworkov (1900-1982)
Sketch for Queen, 1957
oil on canvas
26 1/4 x 20 1/4 inches / 66.7 x 51.4 cm
signed

Esteban Vicente (1903-2001)
M, 1959
oil on canvas
30 x 36 inches / 76.2 x 91.4 cm
signed

William T. Williams (b.1942)
Tale for Shango (Roller Series), 1978
acrylic on canvas
84 x 84 inches / 213.4 x 213.4 cm
signed

Hale Woodruff (1900-1980)
A Celestial Door, c.1967
oil on canvas
40 x 30 1/8 inches / 101.6 x 76.5 cm
signed

Artists

Press Release

Postwar Abstract Painting: “Art is a language in itself” features a rich selection of works by some of the most eminent artists working in abstraction in the decades following World War II. This group exhibition explores the era’s remarkable proliferation of approaches to non-representational imagery. Exemplary paintings from a range of movements as diverse as the artists themselves comprise a vibrant survey of abstract art in the United States, offering a scintillating visual conversation on the reciprocal histories of abstract art in the second half of the 20th century.

The title of the exhibition is drawn from a statement by Norman Lewis (1909–1979) first published in 1950: “Art to me is the expression of unconscious experiences common to all men, which have been strained through the artist’s own peculiar associations and use of his medium. In this sense, it becomes an activity of discovery...not only for the artist but for those who view his work. Art is a language in itself, embodying purely visual symbols which cannot properly be translated into words, musical notes, or, in the case of painting, three-dimensional objects...”

Featured artists include Charles Alston, Norman Bluhm, Ilya Bolotowsky, James Brooks, Giorgio Cavallon, Jay DeFeo, Beauford Delaney, Burgoyne Diller, Claire Falkenstein, Perle Fine, Fritz Glarner, Michael Goldberg, Hans Hofmann, Norman Lewis, Conrad Marca-Relli, Robert Motherwell, Alfonso Ossorio, Richard Pousette-Dart, Milton Resnick, Theodoros Stamos, Alma Thomas, Jack Tworkov, Esteban Vicente, William T. Williams, and Hale Woodruff.