Americans in Paris: Artists in the City of Light, 1946–1965

Proposing an alternative reading of the mid-century international art scene, Americans in Paris: Artists in the City of Light, 1946–1965 features works by visual artists who rejected the intense nationalism that arose in the U.S. in the 1950s. Well-known figures such as Sam Francis, Leon Golub, Al Held, Ellsworth Kelly, Joan Mitchell, Nancy Spero, and Mark Tobey opted to live and work in the City of Light; less-recognized artists such as Janice Biala, Barbara Chase-Riboud, Harold Cousins, Beauford Delaney, and Clare Falkenstein likewise gravitated to France, with its reputation as a haven for self-expression and equality. 

Comprising some 100 paintings, sculpture, and photographs by approximately 20 artists, Americans in Paris is the first major exhibition to showcase expatriate artists working in Paris after World War II and sheds new light on how they helped shape movements such as Minimalism and Color Field Painting.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website.