Exhibitions
Local Color: Washington Painting at Midcentury
July 4, 2008 – October 13, 2008
Alma Thomas, Red Sunset, Old Pond Concerto, 1972, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Woodward Foundation
Explore the expressive possibilities of color in this special installation of twenty-seven large-scale paintings from the museum's permanent collection. Local Color: Washington Painting at Midcentury examines the cross influences of Washington, D.C.-based artists between the mid-1950s and mid-1970s when our nation's capital was home to one of the most dynamic artistic communities in the country. Looking beyond the Color School label, this exhibition explores the astonishing breadth of styles and techniques adopted by Washington artists Leon Berkowitz, Gene Davis, Thomas Downing, Sam Gilliam, Fel Hines, Jacob Kainen, Howard Mehring, Paul Reed, and Alma Thomas who were conducting innovative experiments with color and form.
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