Culled from CRMA’s collection of works created after 1950, “Abstract Ideas: Abstract Art from the Collection” explores the potential of abstraction in the hands of post-World War II artists.
“Abstract art isn’t the first thing people associate with the CRMA but the Museum has a surprisingly robust collection of both 2-D and 3-D abstract works,” said Kate Kunau, curator of collections and exhibits for the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art. “Abstract Ideas celebrates non-representational art in a two-gallery show of some of our most iconic abstract artworks, including pieces by both local and nationally-renown artists.”
In some cases, the subject matter has been only slightly abstracted, diverging only a little from the way they appear in nature. In other cases, artists have moved completely away from any recognizable object in pursuit of more emotional or intellectual goals. In all cases, however, these artists maintained their relationship to and dialogue with the fundamental properties of art such as balance, form, line, color, and rhythm. Investigating the various degrees of abstraction found in modern paintings and sculpture, this exhibition presents a diverse group of works, each of which operates on different emotional and intellectual levels.
This exhibition has been made possible in part by the Iowa Arts Council, a division of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs and the National Endowment for the Arts, Funds for the Community 2020 of the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation, members of the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, and contributors to the Museum’s Annual Fund. Annual educational programming has been supported in part by Transamerica.

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