Our Seattle Art Museum is planning on opening, safely this Friday. Fortunately, in October, I had a chance to visit the opening of Big Picture: Art after 1945 which featured significant abstract paintings and sculpture from the collection of Virginia and Bagley Wright. Due to the timing of the exhibit many missed the show, but don’t worry, I have the highlights here for you to peruse, no mask or social distancing required…
“In the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s, abstraction established itself in many guises as a dominant force to be reckoned with. From abstract expressionism, to gorgeous fields of color, to minimal manipulation of surface and texture, painting and sculpture was the arena where these ideas found their most varied expression.”
“Within the folds of these developments came rumblings of a different nature—other artists began examining the mundane, and elements of chance—and from the castoffs of curbside detritus and the images and materials from newspapers and magazines came a new engagement with the world in its many material forms.”
“Virginia Wright’s legacy lives not only in the collections and institutions she helped build, but also in her staunch belief that contemporary artists define their time.”
Not in the collection, but loved this piece and had to share:
