Manierre Dawson: A Journey to Abstraction - ISM Springfield
Manierre Dawson: A Journey to Abstraction
The Illinois State Museum proudly presents Manierre Dawson: A Journey to Abstraction. This exhibition features 16 original oil paintings by this artistic pioneer from the Illinois State Museum’s Fine Art Collection.
Even today, when searching through art history text books on the subject of inventing modern abstraction, it is unlikely that you will find the name Manierre Dawson (1887-1969). When it comes to who made the first totally non-representational paintings, you will find familiar names like Wassily Kandinsky, Kazimir Malevich, Pablo Picasso, Piet Mondrian and Arthur Dove. But recent scholarship contends that Dawson, a little-known artist from Chicago, took his own journey to non-objective painting, and may even have arrived there shortly before these other famous artists.
The exhibition tells the story of how a Midwest artist, trained as an architectural engineer, with virtually no direct contact with his early 20th century European and American Avant-Garde counterparts, independently arrived at the same artistic destination. At the Illinois State Museum’s exhibition, visitors will be able to see some of the earliest examples of Dawson’s abstracting tendencies, where naïve-looking figures inhabit flattened, simplified landscapes. Enjoy learning about Dawson’s journey to pure abstraction and some of the stops along the way that shaped his innovative artistic vision and defined his life. Discover some of the reasons why—in the end—he is not as well known.
This exhibition is located in the Temporary/Permanent Gallery which features temporary exhibitions from the Museum’s permanent collections. Exhibition runs from December 10, 2016 through March 10, 2017. For more information contact Robert Sill at Robert.sill@illinois.gov or 217-524-5744.
Figure by the Window
Hercules
Adam and Eve
Learn about other exhibitions currently at the ISM Museums and Galleries.
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