The long-awaited Joan Mitchell retrospective is here! Co-organized by the
BMA and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, this comprehensive exhibition follows
the career of the internationally renowned artist who attained critical acclaim
and success in the male-dominated art circles of 1950s New York, then spent nearly
four decades in France creating breathtaking abstract paintings that evoke
landscapes, memories, poetry, and music. The exhibition features 70 works—from
rarely seen early paintings and drawings to multi-panel masterpieces that immerse
viewers with their symphonic color. Highlights such as To the Harbormaster (1956)
and South (1989) evoke urban environments and the lush French countryside,
while No Rain (1976) and Sunflowers (1990-91) engage with the legacy of
Vincent Van Gogh. Two enormous multi-panel paintings, Ode to Joy (A Poem by Frank O’Hara)
(1970-71) and La Vie en Rose (1979), demonstrate Mitchell’s passion for poetry and music.
The exhibition reiterates these artistic connections with an immersive soundscape that
includes quotes taken from Mitchell’s writing and interviews and literature and music
significant to the artist. The experience is optimized for headphones in the gallery and
accessible for visitors through an app on their mobile device or a player borrowed from the museum.
Joan Mitchell is an extraordinary opportunity to see the work of one of the most
significant artists of the post-war era as numerous loans from public and private
collections in the U.S. and Europe include works that have not been shown
publicly in decades and never in a single exhibition. Photographs of views
and other paintings that inspired Mitchell will be shown alongside her paintings,
capturing the way she connected to the natural world and to everyday life.
The BMA’s presentation also includes many archival photographs, letters, poems, and other
materials from the Joan Mitchell Foundation, providing additional context about
the development of the artist’s work and influences.