Barnett Newman: The Late Collection
The Menil Collection
1533 Sul Ross Street, Houston, Texas
Through August 2
The Late Collection pays homage to Barnett Newman, an artist who came to define the spiritual aspirations of American painting in the mid-20th century by deviating from traditional concepts of figure and foreground in search of an experience of the sublime. The exhibition charts the technical and material transformations of the twilight period of Newman’s career, including his transition from oil to acrylic paint.
The artist passed at age 65, leaving behind finished and unfinished works, many of which lay bare the concepts underlying his broader production. Newman’s signature paintings are of large and bold vertical planes of color with upright lines that he called “zips.” Zips, he thought, would reach out to the viewer and lift them out of their torpor into a confrontation with eternity.
The exhibition also features major paintings made throughout Newman’s career from The Menil’s permanent collection.
While visiting, also note that construction has begun on The Menil Drawing Institute, designed by Los Angeles architectural practice Johnston Marklee.