The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) presents Abstract Expressionist New York: Masterpieces from The Museum of Modern Art, on view from May 28 through September 4, 2011.
Jackson Pollock. Mark Rothko. Robert Motherwell. Joan Mitchell. Arshile Gorky. Lee Krasner. Willem de Kooning. These are just a few of the legendary 20th-century artists whose artwork on view at the Art Gallery of Ontario as the Gallery welcomes Abstract Expressionist New York, an exhibition drawn from the collection of The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). The exhibition features 100 key works by artists whose radical work changed the course of art history and catapulted New York City to the centre of the international art world.
Jackson Pollock. Number 1A, 1948.1948. Oil and enamel paint on canvas, 68″ x 8′ 8″ (172.7 x 264.2 cm). Purchase. © 2010 Pollock-Krasner Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, Photo: The Museum of Modern Art, Department of Imaging Services
“MoMA’s collection of abstract expressionist works is not only unparalleled, it is defining. To be the first international art museum to be given the opportunity to share the highlights of this collection is a tremendous honour,” says Matthew Teitelbaum, the AGO’s Michael and Sonja Koerner Director and CEO. “From the wild abandon of Pollock to the distilled emotion of Rothko, this exhibition comprises a group of artists who responded to the seismic shifts of the 20th century with revolutionary innovation and visionary insight, changing the way we view art and, in turn, changing our world. We simply cannot wait to invite our visitors inside to view these essential and inspiring masterworks.”
Three distinct exhibitions are presented in three locations throughout the Museum: The Alfred H. Barr, Jr. Painting and Sculpture Galleries, fourth floor; The Paul J. Sachs Drawings Galleries, third floor; and The Paul J. Sachs Prints and Illustrated Books Galleries, second floor. An exhibition of films from the collection that are associated with the Abstract Expressionist movement will be featured in The Roy and Niuta Titus theaters in early 2011. The ambitious scale of this exhibition introduces various perspectives on the movement and invites a new understanding of a period which influenced the artistic developments of the subsequent half century.
The AGO’s presentation, curated by AGO curator of modern and contemporary art David Moos, draws works from MoMA’s wide-ranging presentation, with a focus on the masterworks that epitomize the pivotal moment in modern art history.
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