Buffalo, NY – On Saturday, June 30, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery will open a new exhibition titled Giant Steps: Artists and the 1960s. The exhibition will be on view in the North Galleries of the museum’s 1905 Building, and will remain on view through Sunday, January 6, 2019.

As one of the most culturally and politically significant periods of the twentieth century, the 1960s also gave rise to numerous aesthetic innovations. Fueled by creativity and technological euphoria, artists began exploring new mediums and incorporating popular themes, motifs, and subjects into their practices. In time, movements such as Pop art, Op art, and Minimalism—and later Conceptual, Performance, and video art—radically reshaped the boundaries of the art world.

“During the 1960s, under the leadership of Director Gordon M. Smith and Board President Seymour H. Knox, Jr., the Albright-Knox acquired numerous artworks that are now considered seminal pieces for the time period. In recent years, the museum has continued to acquire works from this period by artists such as Rosalyn Drexler and Edward Kienholz,” said Albright-Knox Godin-Spaulding Curator and Curator for the Collection Holly Hughes. “We are always excited to show more of our treasured collection to our community, and this exhibition will allow the museum to showcase some of the works that make our collection one of the best in the world.”

Assembled from the Albright-Knox’s expansive collection, Giant Steps: Artists and the 1960s features major works by some of the leading artists of the period—such as Bridget Riley, Frank Stella, and Pop icon Andy Warhol—and reconsiders those who played an under recognized, but vital role in furthering the visual avant-garde in the United States and beyond. Additionally, the exhibition will incorporate special ephemera, artist books, and archival materials, including documentation of notable dance and theatrical performances that were organized or commissioned by the museum during the 1960s.

Internationally known for collecting and giving voice to both established and up-and-coming artists, the Albright-Knox continually strives to present the art of our time—a quest that took firm hold in the 1960s. More than half a century later, Giant Steps: Artists and the 1960s revisits the vivacious imaginings of this compelling epoch.

This exhibition is organized by Godin-Spaulding Curator & Curator for the Collection Holly E. Hughes. Support for this exhibition has been provided by the sponsors of the Summer of AK. Equipment and technical support provided by Advantage TI. The Albright-Knox Art Gallery’s exhibition program is generously supported by The Seymour H. Knox Foundation, Inc.

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