Celebrate the Smart's new spring exhibitions, Composing Color and Beyond Boundaries, with music by DJ Duane Powell.

This program is open and free to the public; RSVP is encouraged. Register here. 

ABOUT THE EXHIBITIONS

Composing Color: Painting by Alma Thomas
from the Smithsonian American Art Museum 

Inspired by the cosmos, nature, and music, Alma Thomas (1891–1978) developed a form of abstraction that transcended established genres. Composing Color: Paintings by Alma Thomas draws on the extensive holdings of the artist’s paintings at the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) and offers an intimate view of Thomas’s evolving practice during her most prolific period, from 1959 to 1978.
 

Beyond Boundaries: Three Decades of Contemporary Chinese Art at the Smart

Beyond Boundaries foregrounds the University of Chicago’s pivotal role in studying and exhibiting contemporary Chinese art. Bringing together artworks acquired by the Museum over the last three decades, archival materials, as well as new work, the exhibition explores how artists navigate and challenge physical limitations across cultural, environmental, and political terrains.

SUPPORT

Composing Color: Paintings by Alma Thomas is organized by the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Generous support has been provided by the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, Chris G. Harris, the Wolf Kahn Foundation, and Susan Talley.

Support for the Smart’s presentation of Composing Color is provided by Gary Metzner and Scott Johnson, and an anonymous donor. Additional support is provided by Nickol R. Hackett. Smart exhibitions are made possible by the Museum's Board of Governors, and SmartPartners.

Support for Beyond Boundaries is provided by Markovitz Family Foundation for the Arts and Education, and Lorna Ferguson and Terry Clark. Additional support is provided by the Museum's Board of Governors, and SmartPartners.
Beyond Boundaries is organized in collaboration with the Center for the Art of East Asia (CAEA).

IMAGES

(from top to bottom) Alma Thomas, Snoopy Sees Earth Wrapped in Sunset, 1970, acrylic on canvas, 47 7/8 x 47 7/8 in. (121.6 x121.6 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1978.40.4 Wang Wei, 1/30th of a Second Underwater, 1999, chromogenic transparencies on translucent polyester base. Smart Museum of Art, The University of Chicago, Purchase, Gift of Carl Rungius, by exchange, 2001.121d ©Wang Wei.