Kenneth Lochhead's genre-defining 1960s abstracts to be exhibited in monumental exhibition "Post-Painterly Abstractions" at Bau-Xi Gallery | Dufferin, 1384 Dufferin Street from October 10th to November 28th, 2024.

Bau-Xi Gallery is honoured to present “Post-Painterly Abstractions,” an exhibition by distinguished Canadian painter Kenneth Lochhead (1926–2006). The exhibition showcases paintings created during the early 1960s, a pivotal period in Lochhead’s career as an abstract artist. During this time, Lochhead’s work expanded upon the Colour-Field painting movement, utilizing large areas of flat, solid color arranged in contemplative formations to foster a dialogue between the composition and the canvas.

Lochhead studied art at Queen's University, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, and the Barnes Foundation. He was appointed Director of the School of Art at the University of Saskatchewan in 1950, a position he held until 1964. In 1955, he initiated the Emma Lake Artists' Workshop, where he worked alongside Abstract Expressionist painters and renowned art critic Clement Greenberg. The inspiration and knowledge he gained from these workshops catalyzed his evolution into Colour-Field painting in 1962. These non-referential works reflect the New York aesthetic imparted by workshop leaders, including American artists Barnett Newman and Kenneth Noland. Lochhead was also a member of the Regina Five, made up of the most well-known Prairie-based painters of the 1960s.

In 1964, Clement Greenberg selected Lochhead’s work for his curated exhibition “Post-Painterly Abstraction,” which also featured artists such as Helen Frankenthaler, Morris Louis, Ellsworth Kelly, Frank Stella, and Kenneth Noland. The show marked a new era of abstraction, characterized by linear forms, minimal detail, and bold colors.