Associate

1981

American, 1930-2019

For over thirty years Ryman has restricted himself to white pigments on a square format. "I don't consider that I paint white paintings," he says. White "enables other things to become visible." Ryman's singular format draws attention to the basal elements of painting: the physical aspects of the paint; the manner in which it is applied; the color and texture of the paint support; the attachment of the painted square to the wall. This approach may seem rigid and ascetic, but the diversity of Ryman's oeuvre attests to his delight in improvising new solutions to his chosen limititations. His efforts have raised consciousness about the tangible essentials of abstract art.

Oil on aluminum

59 3/4 x 58 in. (151.8 x 147.3 cm)

Gift of Mrs. Corydon Wagner

82.75

Provenance: [Young Hoffman Gallery, Chicago, Illinois, 1982]; purchased by Seattle Art Museum with funds from R.D. Merrill Foundation/Mrs. Corydon Wagner, Seattle, Washington, May 1982

Photo: Paul Macapia

Not currently on view

Resources

Exhibition HistoryChicago, Illinois, Young Hoffman Gallery, Robert Ryman: Paintings, March 12 – April 13, 1982.

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Reinstallation of the Permanent Collection: Modern Art Gallery, October 17, 1994 – October 16, 1995.

New York, New York, Guggenheim Museum, Abstraction in the 20th Century, February 8 – May 10, 1996. Text by Mark Rosenthal. P. 201, fig. 198.

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Collection Highlights: 1945 To The Present, September 12, 1996 – June 1, 1997.

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, International Abstraction: Making Painting Real (Part Two), August 15, 2003 – February 29, 2004.

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Modern in America, July 8, 2004 – February 27, 2005.

Published ReferencesDe Leon, Ferdinand M. “It was an occasion less about art and the aesthetics of the new SAM structure than about being part of a historic moment in the city.” Seattle Times, December 6, 1991: E1.

Hackett, Regina. “SAM Survey brings minimalism to the present.” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, September 5, 2003: 16.

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