"Understanding Modern Art" presented by art historian, Professor Nancy G. Heller

In the fifth and final program of our lecture series, Dr. Heller concluded her examination of Modern art by discussing mid and late-century avant-garde artists experimenting with Pop Art and Minimalism.

Pushing Boundaries: From Soup Cans and Monochrome Canvases to “Pluralism”

During the 1960s many young artists rejected the emotional excesses of Abstract Expressionism, by returning to representational art--but with a “twist,” resulting in the Pop Art of Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Claes Oldenburg, and Marisol. At the same time, many others continued exploring abstraction--without the “baggage” of the previous generation. These so-called Minimalists include Ellsworth Kelly, Edna Andrade, Gene Davis, and Richard Serra; their work led to Pluralism, the explosion of varied art-making approaches that began in the 1970s and is still with us today.

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