American Abstract Art of the 1930s and 1940s
The J. Donald Nichols Collection
Opening Reception: Thursday, September 3rd, 7 - 9pm
J. Donald Nichols has put together what may be considered the best and most comprehensive private collection of American abstract art of the 1930s and 1940s. This important phase in the development of modern art in America includes such artists as Joseph Albers, Arshile Gorky, Stuart Davis, Ad Reinhardt, Burgoyne Diller, Laszlo Moholy- Nagy and Irene Rice-Pereira among others. While the nucleus of the collection is centered on work being done by members of the American Abstract Artists group and other independent artists working in New York, there are also fine examples of abstract art from other parts of the country. These include the Transcendental Painting Group from New Mexico, the New Bauhaus school in Chicago, and other Regional Modernists ranging from New Hope, Pennsylvania to California. The breadth and diversity of this remarkable collection paints a broader picture of the evolution of abstract art throughout the country and provides an important perspective on the entire American art scene of this time.
Robert Knott, Exhibition Curator
Professor of Art History, Wake Forest University
| Carl Holty
Bird, 1938 oil on masonite, 23 1/2" x 35 1/2" |
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| Josef Albers
White,Grey, Yellow, Orange 1948, oil on board 27" x 29 1/2" |
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| Byron Browne
Head, 1935 oil on masonite 28" x 24" |
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| Esphyr Slobodkins
Mechanics, 1938 oil on board 24 1/2" x 32" |
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