As reported by the New York Times and the Denver Post today, nine paintings from the Clyfford Still Museum will fill one of the two largest galleries at the Royal Academy of Arts in London (RA) during the first comprehensive survey of abstract expressionism to be mounted in Europe in more than 50 years. Abstract Expressionism opens September 24, 2016, and will travel to the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao following its presentation in London. Along with the first-ever survey of Still’s works on paper—opening in Denver in October 2016—and the participation of contemporary artists Julian Schnabel and Mark Bradford in the Museum’s innovative Artists Select exhibition series in 2017, the loan is one of three major elements of the Clyfford Still Museum’s forthcoming fifth anniversary year announced in a press release today.
“The loan of some of Still’s finest masterpieces from our collection to this exhibition—which presents Clyfford Still, Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, and Willem de Kooning as the pivotal figures of abstract expressionism—will provide people from around the world a once-in-a-lifetime chance to encounter these tremendous paintings in person and to reconsider the narrative around the abstract expressionism movement as a whole,” said CSM director Dean Sobel in the Museum’s announcement, which is available in the Clyfford Still Museum press room.
On October 14, 2016 the Museum will open the first exhibition devoted to Still’s graphic art, providing audiences with a revealing look at a rarely explored aspect of his artistic process. Taking over all of the Museum’s galleries and featuring over 200 works, including ephemera drawn from the Museum’s Archives, Clyfford Still: The Works on Paper will explore the centrality of drawing to Still’s practice.
Artists Select, which launched in 2015 with an exhibition curated by visual artist and composer Mark Mothersbaugh, will continue with an exhibition curated by contemporary artist Julian Schnabel opening in January 2017, followed by a collaboration with abstract painter Mark Bradford opening in spring 2017. Inviting creative professionals to present Still through their own lens, this series celebrates the way various fields of study and art forms—including music, literature, and philosophy—inspired Still, while also exploring the enduring impact Still has on contemporary artists working today.
On November 18, 2016, the Museum will kick off a four-day festival that celebrates five years of collaboration with Denver’s rich cultural community, including a member breakfast, a full weekend of free admission, and VIP cocktail bash.