Mulvane Art Museum Hosts Exhibition on “Women of Abstract Expressionism”

**Women of Abstract Expressionism: Breaking Boundaries at the Mulvane Art Museum**

For decades, the term *Abstract Expressionism* has been synonymous with the names of male artists like Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, and Mark Rothko. However, the contributions of women artists to this revolutionary post-war movement are often overlooked. The ongoing exhibition *Women of Abstract Expressionism*, on view at the Mulvane Art Museum in Topeka, Kansas, through February 2025, is changing this narrative by showcasing the powerful works of several pioneering women who challenged the conventions of art and society. Curated from the **Rita Blitt Legacy Collection**, the exhibition presents pieces by artists who are integral to the Abstract Expressionist movement—Elaine de Kooning, Helen Frankenthaler, Lee Krasner, Joan Mitchell, and of course, Rita Blitt herself.

### Exploring the Universality of Abstract Expressionism

This exhibition is not just a collection of aesthetically captivating works; it is a gateway to understanding the diversity and universality that underpins the Abstract Expressionist movement. Working at different times and in different locations, each artist approached abstraction from a unique vantage point, allowing visitors to experience the range of emotions and techniques these artists employed to express the political and social anxieties of a world recovering from war.

While New York City has historically been recognized as the epicenter of Abstract Expressionism, the exhibition shows how artists like Rita Blitt—working outside of major art hubs—also made significant contributions to the movement. Innovative in her exploration of gesture and form, Blitt used abstraction to navigate her inner landscapes, demonstrating that the movement’s influence was not limited to a geographically restricted elite.

### The Life and Legacy of Rita Blitt

Born in 1931 in Kansas City, Missouri, and currently dividing her time between Kansas City and San Francisco, **Rita Blitt** is a versatile artist whose work spans more than seven decades. Her practice encompasses painting, drawing, sculpture, and even filmmaking. Blitt draws inspiration from various sources, including music, dance, nature, and poetry, which she elegantly translates into evocative visual forms.

Blitt’s signature style includes sweeping, gestural lines and bold explosions of color. Her work evokes a deep emotional resonance, often feeling like a direct response to the world around her. Particularly notable is her use of sinuous, swirling forms that mirror the rhythms of life itself—be it in music, natural elements, or human movement.

Sculpture plays a central role in her work, with many of her large-scale pieces executed in steel or resin. These sculptures interact with their surroundings and connect with audiences by transcending traditional expectations of form and materiality. Her series *Aspen Dawn* (1996–97), for example, captures the dynamism of motion through interactions between color and line, imbuing her imagery with a sense of vitality that seems to leap off the canvas.

### Rita Blitt’s Filmic Contributions

Blitt is not only a painter and sculptor but also a notable filmmaker, having created six short documentaries between 1976 and 2011. Among her most celebrated works is *Caught in Paint* (2003), a collaborative effort with choreographer David Parsons and photographer Lois Greenfield. The award-winning film captures the unique synthesis between movement and paint, making Blitt’s creative process visible in new and captivating ways. The short interweaves dance and painting, demonstrating how abstraction in art can extend beyond the canvas, enmeshing itself within the human body and movement. This film has been featured in 130 film festivals worldwide, attesting to Blitt’s significant impact not just in the visual arts, but also in the realms of dance and cinema.

Another standout piece in her filmography is *Abyss of Time* (2013), a collaboration with composer Michael Udow, praised by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Martin Sherwin for creating an experience “akin to drifting through MoMA on a cloud of mesmerizing music.” This film echoes the emotive qualities of her visual art, extending her creative philosophy into the audiovisual space.

### Rita Blitt’s Legacy and Contributions to the Mulvane Art Museum

In 2017, Blitt donated over 2,000 works, including paintings, sculptures, and drawings, to the Mulvane Art Museum at Washburn University. This donation established the **Rita Blitt Legacy Collection**, a formidable resource that provides insight into Blitt’s evolving artistic journey across five decades. The collection reveals not only the finished results of her explorations into abstraction but also the artistic processes that led her to those evolving creative decisions over the years.

Blitt’s works are held in several prestigious institutions worldwide, including the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, the National Museum of Singapore, and the Skirball Cultural Center, among others. Her substantial contributions ensure that her influence will be felt for generations to come