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In the early 1960s, Yvonne Thomas (1913-2009) was one of many painters seeking a more rational, methodical alternative to the untethered, intuitive and often outsize gestures of Abstract Expressionism. The French-born Ms. Thomas — who came to the United States as a child and was a regular on the New York art scene after 1950 — made a series of modest but radiant proto-Minimalist works that, as seen in this moving show, “Windows and Variations: Paintings From 1963-65,” may be the best of her career.

Until around 1960, Ms. Thomas’s loose patches of color had been relatively generic, a de Kooning-infused form of Abstract Expressionism, albeit sensitive in its paint-handling and palette. But gradually she simplified: reducing the numbers of colors and limiting her shapes to a repeating pattern of lozenges or, often, fat, short brush strokes that suggest a form of counting.

Leaning this way and that, these elements floated in horizontal rows before fields of related hues. In “Transition” (1963), for example, yellow ocher, green and black repeatedly change places, defining shiny strokes and then matte background areas, almost in a kind of dance. In “Variations,” also from 1963, shades of red prevail fore and aft, but additions of white and black create shifting lights, shadows and shimmers. The repetition of identical elements would be foundational to Minimalism, but Ms. Thomas was less strict and more expressive. She kept her hand in, adding a fresh directness of touch, and the results give her a place in the still-emerging saga of postwar American abstraction.

ROBERTA SMITH

Art and Antiques

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Art Ovation, Sarasota, Florida
October 3, 2019
5:30 - 7:00 pm

Frank Alcock, Karen Arango, Bill Buchman, Jetson Grimes, Cooper Levey-Baker, Joan Libby-Hawk, Steve Phelps, Shakira Refos, Mike Solomon, Javier Suarez

Juried by Phyllis Tuchman

September 20 - October 19, 2019

Opening Reception
September 20, 2019
6-9 pm

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Founded by the ancient Greek mathematician Euclid, geometry is the area of mathematics concerned with the study of space and the relationships between points, lines, curves, and surfaces. In the arts it has often referred to the form and position of parts and shapes, as well as the relationship between those parts and shapes. The connection between are as deep as they are wide. Employing rulers and compasses, Islamic art utilized geometry to create elaborate tessellated expanses, while painters in the Renaissance used geometry to devise evermore realistic perspectives, finding vanishing points and lines of sight. Geometric forms may also be found among textile and folk art around the world. However, it was in the 20th century when geometry came to occupy such a prominent role in art history. Modern painting, from Piet Mondrian, to Bridget Riley and Charlene von Heyl, to name only a few, brought geometry and art into a world of its own. Contemporary artists, in Site:Brooklyn’s Geometry continue and elaborate in this long tradition, using geometric theory, naturally occurring patterns and forms, and other engagements between math and art to explore new syntheses between realism, figuration, abstraction, and pattern making. These works include painting, sculpture, drawing, multimedia, and video.

The Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) has announced the first exhibition of its year-long 2020 Vision initiative to celebrate female-identifying artists. By Their Creative Force: American Women Modernists features 20 works by artists such as Elizabeth Catlett, Maria Martinez, and Georgia O’Keeffe to recognize the innovative contributions women artists have made to the development of American modernism. The exhibition is on view October 6, 2019–July 5, 2020.

“This exhibition presents a survey of women artists from a variety of geographic regions and socioeconomic backgrounds to tell a more inclusive story of American modernism,” said Christopher Bedford, BMA Dorothy Wagner Wallis Director. “It also demonstrates the BMA’s long history of acquiring works by women artists and our commitment to showcasing accomplished artists from this community, both efforts the museum is amplifying in 2020 and beyond.”

New York City Gallery Openings video. Christine Berry introduced Yvonne Thomas: Windows and Variations

“The Shape of Abstraction: Selections From the Ollie Collection” at the Saint Louis Art Museum
September 17, 2019–March 8, 2020

In 2017, arts patron and Saint Louis native Ronald Ollie and his wife Monique gifted 81 works by black abstract artists to the St. Louis Art Museum, including examples by Norman Lewis, Sam Gilliam, Chakaia Booker, James Little, and others. The works, while focused on contemporary art, date back to the 1940s, when a generational shift in abstraction was afoot.

The Saint Louis Art Museum is located at One Fine Arts Drive, Forest Park, St. Louis, Missouri; general admission is free.

Susan Vecsey included in ABSTRACT ART SHOWS.

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Art lovers, rejoice! Through October 27, Water Mill's Parrish ARt Museum is presenting "Abstract Climates: Helen Frankenthaler in Provincetown," a selection of 30 paintings and works on paper by the late abstract expressinoist, including "Low Tide" (near right). In springs, 11 works by late Queens-born abstractionist Walter Plate included X + Yellow (top right) are on view at the Pollock-Krasner House through October 31st.And the Quogue Gallery is exhibition a number of works by Manhattan and East Hampton-based artist Susan Vecsey, including Untitled (Orange/Blue) (bottom right) from August 22 to October 2.

Katonah Museum of Art
Katonah, New York
October 6, 2019 - January 26, 2020

Sparkling Amazons presents the often-overlooked contribution by women artists to the Abstract Expressionist movement and the significant role they played as bold innovators within the New York School during the 1940s and 50s. Through the presentation of some 30 works of art alongside documentary photography, the exhibition captures an important moment in the history of Abstract Expressionism.

The catalyst for this project is the groundbreaking 9th St. show arranged by avant-garde artists with the help of the fledgling gallerist, Leo Castelli in 1951. The show became a pivotal moment for the emergence and acceptance of Abstract Expressionism. The artists of the 9th St. show had struggled to gain critical recognition having been shut out by museums and galleries due to the radical nature of their work. Of the more than 60 artists in the show, including many who were to become prominent figures in Abstract Expressionism, only 11 were women. This is the first time works by these extraordinary women will be brought together since the 9th St. show took place 68 years ago.

In the early 1970s, the preeminent editor and art critic, Thomas Hess, would refer to them as “sparkling Amazons.” These women would neither have viewed themselves as “Amazons” nor as feminists; they simply worked and lived as artists, pursuing their professions with the same dedication as their male counterparts even though the social stakes were much higher for them at the time. Several of the artists, including Lee Krasner, Joan Mitchell, Elaine de Kooning and Helen Frankenthaler went on to have distinguished careers and have found their rightful place in the art historical canon. Others, including Grace Hartigan, Perle Fine and Anne Ryan, enjoyed critical success. The remainder, Sonia Sekula, Day Schnabel, Jean Steubing and Guitou Knoop are yet to be fully recognized by art history, a fact that this exhibition addresses.

Frank Wimberley is not one for procrastination.

Historically, the Sag Harbor-based painter has conceptualized and executed his annual creation for the East End Hospice “Box Art Auction” months ahead of schedule.

Until this year, that is.

For the first time in nearly two decades, the artist was feeling the pressure, considering people are still talking about last summer’s auction — an event he has never missed in its 18 years, and a night he will never forget.

“You know what happened last year, right?” Mr. Wimberley asked with a goodhearted laugh. “I got a bid of the highest it has ever been — a bid of $10,000! I thought it was absolutely amazing. Everybody cheered and jumped up and down. We still can’t get over it. I was at the Parrish Art Museum the other day and they say, ‘You’re the guy!’ It’s nice when somebody remembers you! Everybody likes to be remembered.”

The 92-year-old artist was feeling optimistic ahead of this year’s 19th annual auction on Saturday, August 24, at St. Luke’s Church in East Hampton, where bidders flock to see the collection of small, unadorned boxes transformed into one-of-a-kind creations by some 90 East End artists.