John Graham: Maverick Modernist

Exhibition Website

May 7 2017 - Jul 30 2017

Parrish Art Museum

Water Mill, NY

John Graham: Maverick Modernist is a comprehensive survey of significant scope and scholarship. It explores how the artist became an influential figure in the development of a distinctly American approach to art-making in the first half of the 20th century and in what ways Graham’s own self-reinvention as an artist mirrors the resourcefulness and ambition of American artists defining a new direction.

Featuring approximately 55 paintings and a selection of important works on paper from the entire expanse of Graham’s four-decade career.


Whether you go or not, the exhibition catalog, John Graham: Maverick Modernist, is a monograph that explores how John Graham became an influential figure in American painting and discusses the development of his distinctly American approach to art-making. John Graham was an American Modernist and figurative painter. He was a mentor figure to artists such as Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, and Arshile Gorky and a notable influence on Abstract Expressionist artists such as Lee Krasner and David Smith. This book includes more than 50 paintings and a selection of important works on paper. Scholarly essays provide insight on each stage of Graham’s career and the practice of art historical investigation, while commentary from contemporary artists offers an understanding of how Graham influenced their work. A reprint of Graham’s seminal article, “Primitive Art and Picasso,” first published in 1937, reveals his academic and artistic brilliance.

  • Painting
  • American
  • 20th Century
  • Modernism
  • John Graham

Exhibition Venues & Dates