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The Ringling Set to Open Remaking the World: Abstraction from the Permanent Collection Nov. 10, 2019- Aug. 1, 2021 Contact Name: Virginia Harshman Contact Email: virginia.harshman@ringling.org Contact Phone Number: 941-359-5700 ext 2803 Sarasota, Florida – The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art is pleased to present an exhibition of Abstract Expressionism, on view from Nov. 10, 2019, through Aug. 2, 2021. Drawing on the Museum’s permanent collection of modern and contemporary art, the exhibition titled Remaking the World: Abstraction from the Permanent Collection assembles more than 20 paintings and sculptures by European and American artists associated with Abstract Expressionism. The exhibition will feature recent bequests to the museum from the collection of Mandell L. and Madeleine H. Berman: paintings by Joan Mitchell (American, 1925-1992) and Robert Motherwell (American, 1915-1991), as well as a monumental painting by Yayoi Kusama (Japanese, b. 1929), a promised gift from Keith D. and Linda L. Monda. As early as the 1940s, artists from this critical modern art movement sought to transform New York’s art scene with revolutionary approaches to the canvas: splattering, spilling, dabbing, washing and dripping paint. These innovative techniques rooted in deliberate yet spontaneous gestures of a brush or palette knife, along with emphasis on individuality and the subconscious as subject matter, affirmed and politicized the role art played in the evolution of postwar American society. A local connection evolved as a number of artists working in abstraction traveled south to enjoy the warm climate and pursue various teaching and art residency opportunities. Sarasota and the Tampa Bay area became a second home to artists David Budd, John Chamberlain, Jimmy Ernst, Gabriel Kohn, Conrad Marca-Relli and Syd Solomon, all of whom were instrumental in establishing a vital art scene in the area while often opting to teach in the local community. Ola Wlusek, the Keith D. and Linda L. Monda Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, said: “Abstraction was a rebuttal to the representational and narrative art favored by directors, curators, critics and gallerists of the time. Today, the artists in the exhibition are celebrated for giving shape to a new art for a world emerging from war. The abstract expressionists’ considerable ingenuity and perseverance forged a path for generations of artists to follow.” The exhibition will be on display in the Searing Wing. Additional information may be found at ringling.org. # # # About The Ringling The Ringling is a pre-eminent center for the arts, history and learning that is dedicated to bringing the past and contemporary culture to life through extraordinary visitor experiences. From its inception, The Ringling has joined the diverse visual traditions and theatrical spectacle of yesterday with the genre-defying global practitioners of the present. A place of exploration, discovery and respite, The Ringling’s campus in Sarasota, Florida – which includes the Museum of Art, the Circus Museum, an historic mansion, an 18th-century theater and bayfront gardens – is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. As the State Art Museum of Florida and part of Florida State University, The Ringling fulfills an important educational mission. The Ringling offers formal and informal programs of study serving as a major resource for students, scholars, and lifelong learners of every age within the region, across the country and around the world. Media Contacts: The Ringling Virginia Harshman Public relations specialist 941-359-5700 x2803 Virginia.harshman@ringling.org