Visual Language: The Art of Abstraction

Visual Language: The Art of Abstraction presents a selection of abstract, non-representational artworks from Boise Art Museum’s Permanent Collection. A cross-section of abstract artwork, created by the most significant American abstract artists working from the 1980s through the early 2000s, features Color Field paintings, lyrical abstraction, and minimalism. Charles Arnoldi and Ed Moses are examples of West Coast artists who have pushed the boundaries of process and materials within abstraction. Richard Serra, representing the East Coast, demonstrates the power and beauty of a simple line, while Ann Thornycroft and Sam Francis exude explosive texture and movement in their artworks. This exhibition surveys the range of abstract art in which artists use the visual language of art—line, color, pattern, value, shape, and texture—to express meaning and emotion.

Organized by the Boise Art Museum