Out of Bounds: American Abstraction at Mid-Century

Out of Bounds features more than 70 works by artists integral to the radical transformation of art in the US between 1950 and 1975. This period was marked by incredible creative energy and a rejection of artistic conventions, as a broad range of artists embraced abstraction and experimented with new uses of materials, scale, and gesture.

The exhibition features predominantly paintings and a select group of sculptures by both well-known and underappreciated practitioners. Among the artists are Lee Bontecou, Willem de Kooning, Beauford Delaney, Helen Frankenthaler, Arshile Gorky, Grace Hartigan, Hans Hofmann, Ellsworth Kelly, Morris Louis, Joan Mitchell, Senga Nengudi, Louise Nevelson, Isamu Noguchi, Mark Rothko, Zilia Sánchez, and Clyfford Still.

Drawn primarily from the Walker’s extensive collection, the exhibition offers a unique opportunity to experience major works that are rarely on view due their immense size, including those by Sam Gilliam, Pat Lipsky, and Frank Stella.