Abstractions of urban life: George Morrison was an influential abstract expressionist and was particularly fascinated by the city of New York. 25 of his most important works are on display in The Magical City: George Morrison's New York at the Metropolitan Museum from July 17.
In 1943, George Morrison (1919-2000) moved to New York to study painting and drawing. It was here that he first came into contact with modernist art movements, particularly Cubism and Surrealism, and within a few years he himself became a central figure in Abstract Expressionism. Morrison, a member of the Grand Portage Band of Chippewa from Minnesota, was inspired by both urban life and indigenous American and Australian art. The exhibition The Magical City: George Morrison's New York focuses on the artist's love for the world-famous city, which he himself called a »magical city«, and how it influenced him aesthetically. From July 17, 2025 to May 31, 2026, the Metropolitan Museum in New York will present 25 of the most important paintings and drawings from the artist's early years, as well as rare archival material that sheds light on Morrison's role at the center of abstract expressionism.
In a career spanning over six decades, Morrison created paintings, drawings, prints and sculptures of great thematic diversity. He had over 50 solo exhibitions during his lifetime, his first in 1948 at the Grand Central Moderns Gallery in New York. Although he drew inspiration from indigenous art, he actively worked against being seen as an »Indian artist«: »My own work falls in a direction of art that my type of experience and training gives–into the mainstream of the avant-garde of American art. My own sensibilities, the influences, and the attitudes that shaped my art were broad in scope. I have never painted the so-called Indian themes; I have never been social conscious in my painting; I have never tried to prove that I was Indian thru [sic] my art […].« Morrison also taught at the Rhode Island School of Design from 1963-1970 and then at the University of Minnesota until 1983. His works can be found in numerous public collections, including the National Gallery of Art, the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Whitney Museum of American Art. A complete catalog raisonné is currently being compiled.
As part of the InterNationalgalerie series, the Alte Nationalgalerie invites other institutions to exhibit in its own spaces. Kicking off the series on June 18 is the National Museum in Warsaw with the exhibition Inventing Myths.
Through June 27, Elvira Flamm is showcasing three works from her series Ikonen ohne Namen (Icons without Names) in the Made in Berlin Art Award 2026 exhibition. She was selected as one of 20 artists for the show at the BBA Gallery.
