Map

Date: June 28, 2012 through October 28, 2012
Ages: All Ages

Address:
945 Madison Ave. (75 St.)
New York, NY 10021

Phone: 212-570-3600
Website: www.whitney.org

Description: Drawn from the Museum's deep holdings of paintings, sculpture, drawings, prints, and photographs, Signs & Symbols sheds new light on the development of American abstraction during the critical postwar period of the mid-1940s to the end of the 1950s. Many artists active in this period who are often overlooked -- Will Barnet, Forrest Bess, Charles Seliger, and Mark Tobey, among others -- developed abstract work that remains distinct from many of the concerns associated with the canonized Abstract Expressionists, including large-scale canvases and gestural brushwork. Instead, the exhibition presents a more nuanced narrative, focused on the figurative and calligraphic "signs and symbols" present in much of the highly controlled work from this period and included in this show. In many cases, this work drew inspiration from specifically American sources and sought to foster a national aesthetic distinct from European Surrealism and Cubism. These investigations formed an important foundation for a future generation of artists--including Jasper Johns and Roy Lichtenstein--who later incorporated highly individualized systems of signs into their own work while embracing distinctly American subject matter.

Upcoming Events at Whitney Museum of American Art:

• American Legends: From Calder to O'Keeffe - 12/22/12 - 12/22/13
  
• Jay DeFeo: A Retrospective - 02/28/13 - 06/02/13
  
• I, You, We - 04/25/13 - 09/01/13
  
• Stewart Uoo and Jana Euler: Outside Inside Sensibility - 05/10/13 - 05/10/14
  
• Hopper Drawing - 05/23/13 - 10/06/13
  
• David Hockney: The Jugglers - 05/23/13 - 09/01/13
  
• In Parts - 06/13/13 - 06/13/14
  
• Robert Irwin: Scrim Veil - Black Rectangle - Natural Light (1977) - 06/27/13 - 09/01/13
  
• T. J. Wilcox: In the Air - 09/19/13 - 02/09/14
  
• Robert Indiana: Beyond LOVE - 09/26/13 - 01/05/14
  
• Rituals of Rented Island: Object Theater, Loft Performance, and the New Psychodrama: Manhattan, 1970-1982 - 10/31/13 - 10/31/14
  

This event has already taken place. Click here for the latest events.

Please let them know you saw this event
in NY Metro Parents!

GET MORE INFO ON THIS LISTING

First Name: Last Name: E-Mail: Phone #: Dates of Interest (Optional): I want to know about: Enter the code number shown below: This helps prevent spam submissions. 2778

Be a good fellow parent and share this with a friend who would be interested
Email Friend

Subscribe to Our Newsletter   Type your email address here

Email this to a friend	Print this page	See location on a map
Back to Calendar