American Abstraction
Paintings and Sculptures from the 1960s

20 May 2000 – April 2001

Throughout the 1960s much American painting and sculpture developed an engaging directness that attempted to avoid narrative or expression, emphasising instead formal qualities of colour and scale.

This display includes work by painters Morris Louis, Kenneth Noland, Josef Albers and Robert Motherwell and sculptors David Smith and Richard Serra.

This work, that still looks fresh and vital, was made during a period of optimism and technological change that in many ways mirrors the present day. This display from the Tate Collection provides an opportunity to reassess the role of formalism and enjoy the intense visual experience these works offer.