The arrival of several exciting new works in late spring, most garnered from private collectors, provided Debra Force Fine Art with the impetus to host an exhibit of its expanded collection of notable and rare American abstract expressionist artwork.

The gallery is particularly pleased to now have several examples of works by Emil Bisttram, Werner Drewes, Raymond Jonson, George L.K. Morris, and Rolph Scarlett because it offers the collectors the opportunity to view a variety of works by these preeminent artists, who make up only some of the show’s highlights.Emil Bisttram (1895-1976), Moon Magic, 1950, oil on canvas, 32 x 36 in.

Werner Drewes (1899-1985), Lost in Space, 1979, oil on canvas, 46 x 34 in.

Other notable American abstract impressionists responsible for the approximately 35-piece exhibition include Fritz Bultman, Judith Rothschild, Raymond Parker, Steve Wheeler, John Ferren and nearly a dozen more that represent the movement’s evolution from the 1930s to the 1980s. Raymond Jonson (1891-1982), Untitled, 1937, watercolor and casein on paper, 20 x 29 in.

Steve Wheeler (1912-1992), Untitled #109, ca. 1939-1942. Oil on Masonite, 13 x 7½ in.

A progression toward purely abstract art was born out of the 1913 Armory Show, which rocked the art world and ushered in the birth of modernism in America. In 1936, the American Abstract Artist (AAA) group was founded—concurrent with the emergence of the Transcendental Painting Group in New Mexico—providing opportunities for artists to exhibit and discuss abstract non-objective art.

By the late 1940s, abstract expressionism became the dominant artistic style. The bold, energetic brushwork characteristic of its early aesthetic eventually gave way to the calm of the Color Field movement in the 1960s and 1970s. Examples from both periods will be on display at Debra Force, represented by artists that, in addition to the aforementioned, also include Theodoros Stamos, Michael Michaeledes and Esteban Vicente.Rolph Scarlett (1889-1984), Horizontal Abstraction, ca. 1960s, mixed media on paper, 22 3/8 x 28½ in.

George L. K. Morris (1905-1975), La Boule—Milan, 1949, gouache and pencil on paper, 8¼ x 10 5/8 in.

There is currently a renewed interest in the Transcendentalist artists who created work inspired by a philosophy that developed in New England in the late 1820s that intended to transport viewers to imaginative, spiritual realms beyond the physical world. That being noted, Debra Force is excited to have come into possession of works by the Indian Space Painters, including Robert Barrell and Steve Wheeler.

“[These pieces] are rare so we’re pleased to have examples to include in the show, especially since this group is not as well-known as some of the others including the American Abstract Artists and the Transcendentalists,” says Debra Force Gallery director Bethany Dobson. —

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