The National Gallery of Art has recently acquired an oil painting by Grand Portage Band of Chippewa artist George Morrison, expanding the institution’s collection of abstract expressionist works. Painted in 1961, the piece contributes an important voice to the collection, as this is the first work by a Native American to be placed in the NGA’s New York School holdings.
George Morrison (Grand Portage Band of Chippewa, 1919-2000), Untitled, 1961, oil on canvas, 377/8 x 437/8”. National Gallery of Art, Washington. Gift of Funds from David M. Rubenstein, 2022.123.1.
Morrison is well known for both his wood collages and his brilliantly colored paintings of the late 1950s and 1960s—and this painting, Untitled, is no exception. It features saturated reds, blues, greens and ochres, as well as a highly textured style. The artist created this piece while he was in and out of New York City, between teaching positions at the Rhode Island School of Design and a residency at the Dayton Art Institute, according to NGA. The rough, textured style of the painting is a result of applying the oil paints directly onto the canvas, straight from the tube.
“The painting characterizes Morrison’s mature abstractions from the early 1960s, works that are highly prized for their ability to straddle the concerns of the New York School while also presenting a Native worldview,” notes NGA.
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