American Art at Mid-Century: The Subjects of the Artist

63 paintings, drawings, and sculptures by 7 American artists of the abstract expressionist movement were installed in separate spaces on the upper level. The artists included Jackson Pollock, Robert Motherwell, Barnett Newman, Mark Rothko, Arshile Gorky, and Willem de Kooning. The Tower Gallery held 13 of David Smith’s Voltri sculptures, placed on steps and platforms reminiscent of the Roman amphitheater at Spoleto, where his welded sculptures had been shown in 1962. Rough, textured quartz aggregate and epoxy were used on all the surfaces for the display of the objects. This material was also used with great success in many later installations: Treasure Houses of Britain, Sculpture of India, Suleyman, and Sweden, as well as on numerous sculpture pedestals. The Voltri sculptures by David Smith remained in the Tower Gallery through June 15, 1979.