- Dec 18, 2025
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 29
Luminous. Surprising. Iconic. Spray: Jules Olitski in the 1960s invites you to rediscover a modern master who explored the possibilities of color with gumption, vision, and a passion for experimentation. Now on view through August 9, 2026.
Category: Abstraction, Color, Contemporary, New England
Spray: Jules Olitski in the 1960s is on view through August 9, 2026. Photo by Morgan Karanasios.
“Well, Tony, what I would like in my painting is simply a spray of color that hangs like a cloud but does not lose its shape.” - Jules Olitski, 1964
About the exhibition: In the 1960s, American artist Jules Olitski (1922-2007) exhibited his large-scale abstract Spray paintings and sculptures to critical acclaim. His innovative technique involved the use of industrial spray guns to apply mists of acrylic paint to canvas, creating the effect of ethereal fields of suspended color. Sixty years since their inception, Spray: Jules Olitski in the 1960s features a selection of paintings, a sculpture, works on paper, and archival materials from the Jules Olitski Foundation.
Read more about Jules Olitski, "abstract expressionism's heir apparent" in this thought-provoking review of Spray in The Boston Globe.
Sponsorship:
This exhibition is generously supported by Dr. Emily Leff, with additional support by The Wolf Kahn Foundation, and the Currier’s Susan E. Strickler Exhibition Fund in partnership with the Jules Olitski Art Foundation.
Upcoming events and programs:
Mother's Day Concert
May 10
2 to 3:30 PM
Treat the moms and mom-figures in your life to a unique concert in the Currier auditorium inspired by Spray: Jules Olitski in the 1960s. Presented in collaboration with Saint Anselm College Fine Art Department, enjoy a luminous performance of works by Hildegard von Bingen, Germaine Tailleferre, Olivier Messiaen, Morton Feldman, Stefan Wolpe, Kaija Saariaho, and Roxanna Panufnik.
In collaboration with the Saint Anselm College Fine Art Department
$5 for members; $25 for not-yet-members (includes museum admission)
The organizers:
This exhibition is organized and curated by Bruce McColl, Director of Curatorial Affairs, with art historian Alex Grimley, PhD, in collaboration with the Jules Olitski Art Foundation.
Museum visitors enjoy Spray: Jules Olitski in the 1960s.
The catalog:
The exhibition is accompanied by an 84-page catalog published by Scala Arts Publishers, Inc., that highlights the ravishing color and monumental scale of Olitski’s sprays. Olitski’s historic sprays are complemented by a selection of contemporary paintings by Heather Hutchison, Jane Swavely, Joseph Marioni, and John Zurier, who also explore color, light and space in paintings that foreground perception and sensation. The paintings are highlighted and contextualized by two companion essays by the exhibition curators, Bruce McColl, the Currier’s Director of Curatorial Affairs, and art historian Alex Grimley, PhD. A detailed timeline of Olitski’s career in the 1960s including rare archival materials from the Jules Olitski Art Foundation’s archives offer a vivid look at this exciting period. The catalog includes a foreword and introduction, respectively, by Dr. Jordana Pomeroy, Director of the Currier Museum of Art, and Lauren Olitski Poster, President of the Jules Olitski Art Foundation.
Related exhibitions:
Jules Olitski’s historic works will be complemented by an exhibition of paintings by contemporary artists, Heather Hutchison (b. 1964), Joseph Marioni (1943-2024), Jane Swavely (b. 1959), and John Zurier (b. 1956) who explore color, light, and space in abstract works that foreground perception and sensation. Like Olitski, their artistic practices are defined by innovative approaches to painting, as they seek painterly equivalents of intangible natural phenomena.
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