Washington Gallery of Modern Art

The Washington Gallery of Modern Art was a short-lived gallery promoting contemporary art near Dupont Circle in Washington, DC, USA, during the 1960s. Its collection of 153 works was purchased by the Oklahoma City Museum of Art in 1968 for $110,000. [cite web|url=http://www.okcmoa.com/p/7236/Default.aspx|publisher=www.okcmoa.com|title=History of OKCMOA|date=18 July 2006] The collection included 20th-century artists Ellsworth Kelly, Robert Indiana, Grace Hartigan, and Marcel Duchamp.

The Washington Gallery of Modern Art had a number of exhibitions which traveled nationally and internationally, most notably the historic "Washington Color Painters" show in 1965 which formalized recognition of the Washington Color School of painters. Other important events at the Gallery included the first Franz Kline retrospective in 1962, curated by Alice Denney, and the "Popular Image Show" in 1963 which included artists like Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, Tom Wesselmann, George Brecht, Claes Oldenburg, Jim Dine, and James Rosenquist. The Gallery organized the raucous "Pop Festival" the same year, which was the first occasion on which Rauschenberg performed his now famous "Pelican." John Cage and the Judson Dancers performed, Oldenburg staged a happening called "Stars," and Robert Rosenblum delivered a lecture on Pop Art.

The gallery was founded by Assistant Director Alice Denney and Julian Eisenstein. Among its directors were Gerald Nordland (who gave the Washington Color School its name), Charles Millard, Adelyn Breeskin, and Walter Hopps for a short stint near the Gallery's end. Though a New York Times article cites Eleanor "Lalli" Lloyd as the Gallery's founder, [cite web|url=http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F50B17FA3F5F0C7B8DDDAB0894DC494D81&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fPeople%2fS%2fSchiele%2c%20Egon|publisher=www.nytimes.com|title=Inside Art|date=18 Feb 2004] she was instead an important member of the first board.Fact|date=May 2007

References

External links

* [http://www.okcmoa.com Oklahoma City Museum of Art]
* [http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F50B17FA3F5F0C7B8DDDAB0894DC494D81&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fPeople%2fS%2fSchiele%2c%20Egon NY Times article mentioning gallery]
* [http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/custom/aetoday/bal-ae.art15apr15,0,6196344.story?coll=bal-aetoday-headlines Baltimore Sun article on Washington Color School]
* [http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost_historical/access/155460822.html?dids=155460822:155460822&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&fmac=&date=Jan+8%2C+1962&author=By+Thomas+Wolfe+Staff+Reporter&desc=Modern+Art+Group+Plans+Gallery+Here 1962 Washington Post article about gallery]
* [http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost_historical/access/164544382.html?dids=164544382:164544382&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&date=Oct+19%2C+1962&author=By+Kim+Willenson+Staff+Reporter&pub=The+Washington+Post%2C+Times+Herald++(1959-1973)&edition=&startpage=C2&desc=Franz+Kline+Art+Collection+Moves+In+And+Gallery+Plans+a+Housewarming 1962 Washington Post article announcing first Franz Kline retrospective at the Gallery]
* [http://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/collections_list.cfm/fuseaction/Collections.ViewCollection/CollectionID/9931 1976 Interview of Alice Denney, conducted by Walter Hopps, for Smithsonian's Archives of American Art in which she discusses happenings at the Gallery]