Revelation: Major Paintings by Jules Olitski February 12–May 6, 2012

Jules Olitski, Prince Patutszky Pleasures, 1962, Magna acrylic on canvas,
collection of the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, Missouri,
Bebe and Crosby Kemper Collection, gift of the R. C. Kemper Charitable Trust.
Jules Olitski, With Love and Disregard: Splendor, 2002, acrylic on canvas,
collection of Audrey and David Mirvish, Toronto.
Jules Olitski, Purple Golubchik, 1962, Magna acrylic on canvas, private collection.
Jules Olitski, Patutsky in Paradise, 1966, acrylic on canvas,
collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario, purchase.
Jules Olitski, Of Darius, 1988, acrylic on canvas, private collection.
Jules Olitski, Monkey Woman, 1964, acrylic on canvas, private collection.
Widely regarded as one of America’s last classic modern painters, Jules Olitski (1922–2007) created brilliant color harmonies and chromatic shifts that became one of the hallmarks of Color Field painting. Olitski enjoyed enormous acclaim in the 1960s and 1970s, and in 1969 he was the first living American artist to be given a solo exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Revelation: Major Paintings by Jules Olitski draws together more than 30 monumental canvases from public and private collections. The exhibition examines five decades of creative endeavor, ranging from the artist’s first essays into stain painting beginning in 1959 to his visionary last compositions in 2007. This glorious presentation highlights the series that define Olitski’s major advances: Stain paintings, Spray paintings, Baroque paintings, High Baroque paintings, and the last great series, titled "With Love and Disregard." For a rare look at the artist at work in his studio, click here to view a video about Olitski.
Revelation opens at the MFAH following its 2011 premiere at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art in Kansas City, Missouri. The illustrated exhibition catalogue, which includes text by the artist, is available at The MFAH Shop.
This exhibition is organized by the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, Missouri.
Generous support is provided by:
Mr. and Mrs. W. S. Wilson
Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff