Abstract Masters
This exhibition brings together a vibrant group of postwar abstract works, highlighting the dynamic energies of American abstraction from the mid-20th century.
The show features two important works by Willem de Kooning, both from 1978, showcasing the legendary artist's late-career fluidity and gestural precision. One, an oil on newsprint, captures a raw immediacy and sense of improvisation.
This exhibition brings together a vibrant group of postwar abstract works, highlighting the dynamic energies of American abstraction from the mid-20th century. Anchored by major voices in Abstract Expressionism and its extended legacy, the exhibition offers an intimate encounter with seven artists whose work pioneered abstraction.
The show features two important works by Willem de Kooning, both from 1978, showcasing the legendary artist's late-career fluidity and gestural precision. One, an oil on newsprint, captures a raw immediacy and sense of improvisation; the other, an oil on linen, reflects de Kooning’s mastery of form and movement in the final chapter of his career.
Mary Abbott, a trailblazer among women of the New York School, is represented here with three striking works. Most notably, the emotionally charged "Barbra Is Dying" stands out, echoing both personal and mythic narratives.
Paul Jenkins’ 1968 work brings his signature controlled spontaneity into view. With radiant color pours and lyrical abstraction, this oil on canvas encapsulates Jenkins' spiritual and technical approach to painting, bridging chance and intent with poetic clarity.
Two works by Taro Yamamoto offer a rare look into the Japanese-American artist’s unique contribution to the Abstract Expressionist movement. His bold brushwork and meditative compositions reveal a synthesis of Eastern and Western traditions.
Rounding out the exhibition is a luminous painting by Chinyee, whose lyrical abstraction resists easy categorization. With a refined sensibility, her work offers a subtle counterpoint to the dominant narratives of mid-century abstraction, emphasizing balance, rhythm, and emotion.
Together, these seven artists illuminate the complexity and range of postwar abstraction. This tightly curated exhibition invites viewers to reconsider the canon, placing lesser-known yet vital voices alongside the monumental figures of the era.
Oil on Linen
In this late-career work, de Kooning embraces subtlety and restraint. Flecks of soft color drift across raw linen, creating a sense of quiet movement and openness. The composition feels intimate, almost weightless, yet unmistakably his—anchored by a confident signature and decades of painterly instinct distilled into a whisper.
Untitled, 1978
Signature work
In Phenomena Cast, Jenkins orchestrates flowing veils of color with his trademark control and intuition. The painting’s energy culminates in his meticulously rendered signature—so precise and deliberate that it becomes part of the composition itself, a final flourish that echoes the discipline behind the apparent spontaneity.
Detail from "Phenomena Cast", 1968
