Stanton MacDonald-Wright, Synchromy, Kyoto, 1964, oil on panel
Courtesy Debra Force Fine Art, New York

True Colors

July 21, 2018 – January 4, 2018

Potent even to the point of being considered dangerous, color is the most exciting element of art, the strongest tool in the toolbox. Because it is also a largely uncontrollable force, it remains the most vital source of new art. “Color, above all, is a means of liberation,” Matisse declared.

Nothing in art is more powerful than color. From the shock effect the Fauves and the rainbows of Delaunay and Kandinsky to the seductive radiance of neon, the story of color is a tale of wonder. The full range of color’s magic is on display in this exuberant show of over 100 works from the original master of color, Titian, to this moment’s hottest talents. The roll call of the great colorists in the show is a hit parade of art history’s most exciting names: Kandinsky, Hofmann, Klee, Albers, Rothko, Warhol, Joan Mitchell, Yves Klein, Ellsworth Kelly, Frank Stella, David Hockney, Wolf Kahn, Peter Halley, Joseph Kosuth, Juan Usle, Nathan Slate Joseph, Callum Innes, Deborah Kass, Miya Ando, Doug Argue, and Keith Sonnier.

  • Titian, Saint Sebastian, c. 1530, oil on canvas, Courtesy of Edelman Arts, New York

  • Othon Friesz, La Ciotat-Paysage, 1907, oil on canvas, Courtesy of Findlay Galleries, New York

  • James Nares, That Mississippi River Painting, 2001, oil on linen, Courtesy of the artist and Kasmin, New York

  • James Nares, Last Kind Word, 2016, oil on linen, Courtesy of the Artist and Kasmin, New York

  • Miriam Schapiro, Byzantium, 1967, acrylic on canvas, Courtesy of the Estate of Miriam Schapiro and Eric Firestone, East Hampton and New York

  • Callum Innes, Exposed Painting Green Lake, 2013, oil on linen, Copyright of the Artist Courtesy of the Artist and Sean Kelly Gallery, New York

  • Peter Halley, Breaking In, 2018, fluorescent acrylic and Roll-A-Tex on canvas, Private Collection. Courtesy of Greene Naftali Gallery, New York

  • Willard Boepple, The Way Things Work #3, 2009, cast resin, Courtesy of the Artist

  • Willard Boepple, Little Two Blue, 2012, painted steel, Courtesy of the Artist

  • L-R: Nathan Slate Joseph, Larry Zox, Nathan Slate Joseph

  • Titian

  • L-R: Hans Hofmann, Richard Diebenkorn, Yves Klein, Richard Diebenkorn, David Hockney, Wayne Thiebaud

  • L-R: James Nares, Peter Halley, Callum Innes

  • Louis C. Tiffany Furnaces, Inc., selection of colored tableware, including bowls, vases, compotes, and glassware patterned and iridescent techniques, Courtesy of Mr. Gordon H. Hancock

  • Justin Horne, (27 red) Boomerang, 2014, oil and latex paint on cardboard, Courtesy of the Artist and VSOP Projects

  • Wolf Kahn

  • Wolf Kahn, Predominantly Red-Violet, 2017, oil on canvas, Courtesy of Miles McEnery Gallery, New York

  • Miya Ando, Spectrum 4.4.2, urethane and pigment on aluminum panel, Courtesy of the artist

  • Deborah Kass, After Louise Bourgeois, 2010, neon, Courtesy of the artist

  • Keith Sonnier, Corrugated Twist, 2017, neon, steel, corrugated metal, transformer, and wire, Collection of the Artist, Courtesy Castelli Gallery, New York

  • L-R: Willard Boepple, Scott McIntire, Ellsworth Kelly

  • Alfred Jensen, Emission Spectrum, 1975, oil on canvas, Courtesy of Pace Gallery New York. Installation photo, NCMA Staff