Abstraction in Action

People hear the term "abstract art" and they think of freeform painting, but that's just one style of abstraction. The regimented color bands of Gene Davis' Equinox, the minimalism of Anne Truitt's freestanding column, Prima, and John McCracken's bull's-eye painting Mandala VI are all carefully crafted works of abstract art that defy this stereotype. Gesture, Scrape, Combine, Calculate: Postwar Abstraction from the Permanent Collection, the new exhibition at the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum (1 Brookings Drive; 314-935-4523 or kemperartmuseum.wustl.edu), offers a closer look at some of the finer examples of the style as practiced by the aforementioned artists, as well as featuring art by Richard Diebenkorn, Arshile Gorky and Jules Olitski. The exhibition opens Friday, August 20, and remains on display every day except Tuesday through Monday, September 20.
Mondays, Wednesdays-Sundays. Starts: Aug. 20. Continues through Sept. 20, 2010