Composing Color: Paintings by Alma Thomas

Media - 1978.40.3 - SAAM-1978.40.3_2 - 137737

Alma Thomas, The Eclipse, 1970, acrylic on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1978.40.3

Alma Thomas is a singular figure in the story of twentieth-century American art. She developed her exuberant form of abstract painting late in life, after retiring from a long career as a schoolteacher. Blossoming in the mid-1960s, her vibrant, rhythmic art transcended established genres, incorporating elements of gestural abstraction and color field painting. Thomas’s abiding sources of inspiration were nature, the cosmos, and music. She created a style distinctly her own, characterized by the dazzling interplay of pattern and hue. 

Description

The Smithsonian American Art Museum has the largest public collection of works by Alma Thomas in the world. Thomas’s art first entered SAAM’s collection in 1970. The museum acquired more than a dozen works during the artist’s lifetime, and thirteen that were bequeathed to the museum by Thomas after her death. Composing Color: Paintings by Alma Thomas draws on these extensive holdings to offer an intimate view of Thomas’s evolving practice during her most prolific period, 1959 to 1978. 

In the mid-1960s, Alma Thomas created a painting style distinctly her own, characterized by the dazzling interplay of pattern and vibrant color. Thomas once stated, “Art could be anything. It could be behavior—as long as it’s beautiful.”

In her work, color can be symbolic and multisensory, evoking sound, motion, temperature, even scent. Her abiding source of inspiration was nature—whether seen through her kitchen window or from outer space. Organized around the artist’s favored themes of Space, Earth, and Music, this show invites you to see the world through Alma Thomas’s eyes. She often assigned titles to her own paintings that connect natural phenomena, like flowers or a sunset, with song. In her art, nature and music are treated as twin expressions of a fundamental life force or spirit.  

Consciously oriented toward the future, she embraced the technological and social changes of the twentieth century. Her artistic evolution from academic painting to abstraction reflected this forward-facing attitude—her belief in the need for “a new art representing a new era.”  

New research into her materials and techniques show how Thomas continued to innovate artistically until the end of her life, at times changing her methods to adapt to her declining physical ability due to arthritis. As the luminous works in the exhibition reveal, Thomas’s astounding creative drive and mastery of color remained constant through her final years.

After the exhibition closes at SAAM, it will travel to several venues across the United States.

This exhibition is organized by Melissa Ho, curator of twentieth-century art at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, with support from Maria Eipert, curatorial assistant.

 

Visiting Information

September 15, 2023 June 2, 2024
Open Daily, 11:30 a.m.–7:00 p.m
Free Admission

Tour Schedule

Denver Art Museum
Denver, CO
September 8, 2024 January 12, 2025

Events

1
Thursday
Feb
Free | Registration encouraged

Videos

Credit

Composing Color: Paintings by Alma Thomas is organized by the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Generous support has been provided by:

 

  • Helen Frankenthaler Foundation
  • Chris G. Harris
  • Wolf Kahn Foundation
  • Susan Talley

SAAM Stories

A detail of a comic book cover showing a young African American girl with a paintbrush in her hand
09/21/2021
Celebrating what would have been artist Alma Thomas’s 130th birthday with a comic about her life and work
Two views of a painting under different lighting conditions.
Conservators at SAAM uncover new aspects of the influential artist’s work
Amber Kerr
Sydney Nikolaus

Learning Resources

a powerpoint slide showing an artwork by Alma Thomas and the title of the program
Video
Alma Thomas: Teacher, Artist, Trailblazer (Part 1
Join museum educators and art conservators from the Smithsonian American Art Museum for a "behind the scenes" look at the trailblazing artist Alma Thomas and the unique way she created her exuberant abstract paintings.
Topics
History and Social Studies
Language
English
A powerpoint slide showing Alma Thomas's artwork and the title of the educational program
Video
Alma Thomas: Teacher, Artist, Trailblazer (Part 2
Join a rich conversation with aerospace engineer Janelle Wellons and horticulturist Abra Lee, as they reflect on artist Alma Thomas’s legacy as a STEAM trailblazer. Wellons shares insights on how visual images and inquiry can unlock the mysteries of the cosmos, while Lee unearths the histories of Black gardeners. Together, these reflections provide an in-depth understanding of Thomas’s cultural impact and the ways in which her work continues to inspire adults and students alike.
Topics
STEAM
Language
English
Communicate in Color cover for Learning Lab
Activity/Lab
Alma Thomas: Communicate in Color
Using descriptive language and prepositional phrases to write about the paintings of Alma Thomas.
Topics
Teacher-Tested , Language Arts
Language
English
Making EMS Visible cover for Learning Lab
Activity/Lab
Alma Thomas: Making EMS Visible
Communicating about light, the atmosphere, and the electromagnetic spectrum with the paintings of Alma Thomas.
Topics
Teacher-Tested , STEAM
Language
English
Problem Solving cover for Learning Lab
Activity/Lab
Alma Thomas: Problem Solving
Empathize with artist Alma Thomas to design innovative solutions to physical challenges.
Topics
Teacher-Tested , STEAM
Language
English
Visual Music cover for Learning Lab
Activity/Lab
Alma Thomas: Visual Music
Exploring the relationship between music and art with the paintings of Alma Thomas.
Topics
Music , Teacher-Tested
Language
English
Window on Nature cover for Learning Lab
Activity/Lab
Alma Thomas: Window on Nature
Discover through art how plants and animals change over time.
Topics
Teacher-Tested , STEAM
Language
English

Online Gallery

Media - 1970.324 - SAAM-1970.324_1 - 52851
Light Blue Nursery
Date1968
acrylic on canvas
On view
Media - 1978.40.3 - SAAM-1978.40.3_2 - 137737
The Eclipse
Date1970
acrylic on canvas
On view
Media - 1976.140.1 - SAAM-1976.140.1_1 - 4885
Snoopy – Early Sun Display on Earth
Date1970
acrylic on canvas
On view
Media - 1977.48.5 - SAAM-1977.48.5_1 - 59312
Red Sunset, Old Pond Concerto
Date1972
acrylic on canvas
On view
Media - 1980.36.7 - SAAM-1980.36.7_2 - 136239
Aquatic Gardens
Date1973
acrylic on canvas
On view
Media - 1980.36.3 - SAAM-1980.36.3_1 - 68577
White Roses Sing and Sing
Date1976
acrylic on canvas
On view
Media - 1980.36.13 - SAAM-1980.36.13_2 - 136235
Antares
Date1972
acrylic on canvas
On view
Media - 1976.140.3 - SAAM-1976.140.3_2 - 146888
Atmospheric Effects I
Date1970
acrylic and pencil on paper
On view
Media - 1976.140.4 - SAAM-1976.140.4_2 - 146890
Atmospheric Effects II
Date1971
acrylic and pencil on paper
Not on view
Media - 1980.36.1 - SAAM-1980.36.1_1 - 53030
Fall Begins
Date1976
acrylic on canvas
On view
Media - 1980.36.12 - SAAM-1980.36.12_1 - 66118
Spring Grass
Date1973
acrylic on canvas
On view
Media - 1980.36.9 - SAAM-1980.36.9_1 - 83166
Autumn Leaves Fluttering in the Breeze
Date1973
acrylic on canvas
On view
Media - 1980.36.10 - SAAM-1980.36.10_1 - 66973
Snow Reflections on Pond
Date1973
acrylic on canvas
On view
Media - 1978.40.5 - SAAM-1978.40.5_1 - 52858
Untitled (Music Series)
Date1978
acrylic on canvas
On view
Media - 1980.36.4 - SAAM-1980.36.4_2 - 136236
Delightful Song by Red Dahlia
Date1976
acrylic on canvas
On view
Media - 1980.36.5 - SAAM-1980.36.5_2 - 136237
Grassy Melodic Chant
Date1976
acrylic on canvas
On view
Media - 1980.36.8 - SAAM-1980.36.8_1 - 83165
Elysian Fields
Date1973
acrylic on canvas
On view

Artists

Media - 1977.121 - SAAM-1977.121_1 - 52854
Alma Thomas
born Columbus, GA 1891-Washington, DC 1978

During the 1960s Alma Thomas emerged as an exuberant colorist, abstracting shapes and patterns from the trees and flowers around her.