Abstract Art at Mid-Century

Larry J. Feinberg, Robert and Mercedes Eichholz Director of the Board of Trustees of the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, invited various folks to Going Global: Abstract Art at Mid-Century – the latest exhibition at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art (SBMA). It features 35 works from the Museum’s permanent collection. It runs the gamut of mediums, from painting and sculpture to photography and lithography along with artist-invented mediums.

The exhibition opened with a cocktail party in the main gallery and a brief talk from the Contemporary Art curator James Glisson. According to Glisson, “Going Global shows that abstract art in the middle of the 20th century was an international phenomenon. The artists on view were born in Argentina, Colombia, Germany, France, Hungary, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Portugal, Peru, Venezuela, the U.K., and the U.S.A.

“Abstraction was a Rorschach test on to which the anxieties, fears, and hopes of the 20th century were projected. It could reach back millennia into prehistory, ground a museum viewer in the present, or peer into a future world full of utopian promise.”

James has a PhD from Northwestern University. His exhibitions have been covered by the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, and more. His four books have won many awards. We are lucky to have him.

To make sense of the sprawling topic of global abstraction, the exhibition is divided into four sections: Op Art, Layers, Guttural Abstraction, and Signs & Symbols.

The exhibition is made possible through the generous support of the Women’s Board of SBMA. It will be on display until September 25 and there are several related programs from various speakers throughout the exhibit. The Museum is one of the finest on the West Coast and is celebrated for the superb quality of its permanent collection. The goal is to integrate art into the lives of people through internationally recognized exhibitions and special programs. See you at the exhibit!

Call (805) 963-4364 or visit www.sbma.net for the schedule. The Museum is located at 1139 State Street and is open Tuesday – Sunday 11 to 5 pm and free Thursdays from 5 to 8 pm.