October 15–December 31, 2020
Online and by appointment
to preview: click here
CONNERSMITH is pleased to announce Brilliance, an exhibition of paintings by the latent genius of the Washington Color School, Howard Mehring. These lyrical abstract works demonstrate the long concealed brilliance of Mehring’s art.
In the late 1950s Mehring created a distinctive loose, gestural style often referred to as “Lyrical Abstraction.” The artist’s signature technique of pouring paint and dripping with a brush characterizes the first stage of his mature work. These delicate paintings, known as “Allovers,” are considered by many to be his greatest masterpieces.
Curator Walter Hopps asserted “Mehring was the closest painter to Morris Louis in delicacy” describing Mehring’s work as: “simultaneously delicate and bold, a rare combination also present in Jackson Pollock’s work.”
Fellow artist, Gene Davis identified Mehring as “one of the premier painters” of the Washington Color School, reflecting: “In many ways he was the most lyrical of us all.”
Influences of Mehring’s artistic innovations may be seen in the works of many subsequent artists, including Alma Thomas, Gene Davis, Thomas Downing and Sam Gilliam. Permanent collections include: Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum; Museum of Modern Art; Whitney Museum of Modern Art, The Tate Gallery, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden; National Gallery of Art; Los Angeles County Museum; San Francisco Museum of Art, among others.
