This exhibition celebrates the landmark gift of the Friday Foundation in honor of Richard E. Lang and Jane Lang Davis. The 19 works from the extraordinary Lang Collection, assembled in little more than a decade, represent one of the most significant holdings of Abstract Expressionist paintings and sculptures, as well as works by two towering artists of post-war Europe.
Spanning the years 1945 and 1976, the paintings, drawings, and sculptures in Frisson serve as significant examples of mature works and pivotal moments of artistic development from some of the most influential American and European artists of the post-war period, including Francis Bacon, Lee Krasner, Clyfford Still, Philip Guston, Joan Mitchell, David Smith, and others. Taken together, they represent an inimitable archive of innovation and a cross-pollination of leading artistic positions in the post-war years.
Seattle collectors Richard E. Lang and Jane Lang Davis were frequent visitors to New York in the 1970s and early 1980s when they collaboratively built their collection, filling their home with singular works of art. Their shared legacy and passion for engaging thoughtfully, deeply, and personally with art—and the frisson of excitement that arises with such a connection—will be celebrated and echoed in this special exhibition.
To view all 19 works that are part of this major gift and featured in the exhibition, please see our new acquisitions page.