IN THE SPOTLIGHT
ALICE BABER
Alice Baber
ALICE BABER AN ARTIST’S TRIUMPH OVER TRAGEDY BY GAIL LEVIN
ABOUT THE BOOK
The definitive biography of abstract artist Alice Baber, whose luminous and beloved works took the world by storm.
From one of the most acclaimed art biographers writing today comes the surprising life of Alice Baber, who produced exquisite abstract paintings of vibrantly colored shapes that created an illusion of floating light. Heralded as an “artist of lyrical abstractions,” Baber’s paintings had already entered the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan, the Guggenheim, and the Whitney at the time of her premature death at just fifty-four. How could such an accomplished and visionary artist then fall into near obscurity?
In Alice Baber, Baber's fascinaitng story is finally revealed, despite efforts to consign her to oblivion by her competitive ex-husband, his surviving widow, and by major male art historians and curators who conspired to promote his art and at her expense. Her ex-husband’s widow sold the late Baber’s work to a gallery only if it agreed not to give her a show.
Alice Baber is a vital corrective to the history of American art and a thrilling opportunity for the next generation experience Baber anew. Vividly written and richly detailed, we journey through her rural upbringing as a childhood prodigy to her years exhibiting around the world and experience the heady mid-century art world in all it’s glory.
Levin’s dynamic prose brings to life this synesthetic artist who links color to both movement and sound. We witness Baber's talent and ambition, her tenacity, charm, and her generosity of spirit. Her early feminist activism and her work as a curator helped other artists, and her deep connection to literature and poetry. Alice Baber: An Artist's Triumph Over Tragedy is an insightful and stunning portrait that resurrects a central figure in modern art.
About the Author
Gail Levin is the author of Edward Hopper: An Intimate Biography, Becoming Judy Chicago, Lee Krasner: A Biography and many other books on twentieth-century and contemporary art. She is Distinguished Professor of Art History, American Studies, and Women's Studies at the Graduate Center and Baruch College of the City University of New York.
Publisher: Pegasus Books (February 3, 2026)
Distributed by Simon & Schuster
Length: 448 pages
ISBN13: 9798897100408
The Book will be released on February 3, 2026
LINK ART GALLERY
“Color in Motion: The Vibrant Worlds of Alice Baber” a Retrospective Exhibition
Explore a dynamic retrospective that explores Baber’s expressive use of color and fluid forms, celebrating her unique vision through a kaleidoscope of abstract compositions that pulse with energy and emotion.
June 13th – July 11, 2025: “Color in Motion: The Vibrant Worlds of Alice Baber” Reception: Friday, June 13, 2025, 5:00 – 6:30 p.m.
132 S. Central Avenue Paris, IL 61944
BONHAMS LONDON
20th & 21st Century Art
Alice Baber
Violet Passing
signed and dated 'Baber 68' (lower left); signed, inscribed and dated 'Alice Baber "Violet Passing" New York 1968' (on the overlap)
oil on canvas
24 x 18 in (61 x 45.5 cm)
Painted in 1968
BONHAMS LONDON
20th & 21st Century Art
Alice Baber
The Green Door to the Wind
signed 'Baber' (lower left edge); signed, inscribed and dated '1976 Alice Baber "The Green Door to the Wind"' (on the overlap)
oil on canvas
30 x 40 in (76 x 101.5 cm)
Painted in 1976
GENE DAVIS
Gene Davis
SOTHEBY’S NEW YORK
20th century, Contemporary Discoveries is an innovative showcase for extraordinary artworks by established and emerging artists alike. This season’s auction will feature wonderful examples by Alexander Calder, Christo, and Tom Wesselmann alongside choice works by Mark Tansey, Deborah Butterfield, Emmi Whitehorse and Frank Stella, Gene Davis.
Gene Davis
Tuxedo: Homage to Newman [Three Works]
signed, titled and dated 1979 (on the reverse of each)
acrylic on canvas
each: 44 ¼ by 32 ⅛ in.
112.4 by 81.6 cm.
Executed in 1979.
Property from the Collection of Myrtle Katzen, Washington, D.C.
The Contemporary Discoveries auction will open for bidding on July 8th, and lots will close in succession on July 15th.
SOTHEBY’S NEW YORK
20th century, Contemporary Discoveries is an innovative showcase for extraordinary artworks by established and emerging artists alike. This season’s auction will feature wonderful examples by Alexander Calder, Christo, and Tom Wesselmann alongside choice works by Mark Tansey, Deborah Butterfield, Emmi Whitehorse and Frank Stella, Gene Davis.
Gene Davis
Gate Keeper
signed, titled and dated 1983 (on the reverse)
acrylic on canvas
76 ¼ by 90 in.
193.6 by 228.6 cm.
Executed in 1983.
Property from the Collection of Myrtle Katzen, Washington, D.C.
The Contemporary Discoveries auction will open for bidding on July 8th, and lots will close in succession on July 15th.
CHRISTIE’S NEW YORK
First Open | Post-War & Contemporary Art
First Open brings together exemplary works by leading post-war and contemporary artists, featuring Ernie Barnes, Gene Davis, Jonas Wood, Alexander Calder, Friedel Dzubas, Helen Frankenthaler, Keith Haring, Mary Abbott, George Condo, Jack Whitten, Yu Nishimura and more.
Three Sisters
signed, titled and dated 'Three Sisters (1980) Gene Davis' (on the reverse of the leftmost and central canvas); signed again, titled again and dated again 'Three Sisters Gene Davis (1980)' (on the reverse of the rightmost canvas)
triptych—acrylic on canvas
each: 33. 3⁄4 x 23. 1⁄4 in. (85.7 x 59.1 cm.)
overall: 33. 3⁄4 x 69. 3⁄4 in. (85.7 x 177.2 cm.)
Painted in 1980.
3 July 2025 – 18 July 2025
ART GALLERY OF ONTARIO
Moments in Modernism
Moments in Modernism highlights the diversity and high quality of the AGO’s modern art collection, which has been built over time by generations of museum curators and patrons.
This installation will show collection strengths from artistic movements such as Pop Art, Abstraction, Realism, and Minimalism. An international approach in artistic styles will be presented, including a body of work from the AGO holdings by Brazilian artists, recognizing the global nature of modernism. A selection of contemporary works that respond to modernist movements will also be shown.
Many of the artists, including Andy Warhol, Helen Frankenthaler, Jules Olitski, Gerhard Richter, and Mark Rothko are well known while others are still yet to be broadly recognized such as Tomie Ohtake, Rubem Valentim, Gene Davis and Kazuo Nakamura. A particular focus will be Canadian artists including Alex Colville, Rita Letendre, Jack Bush, Agnes Martin, Guido Molinari and Norval Morrisseau.
June 14, 2024 - September 1, 2025
JON SCHUELER
Jon Schueler
SOROKIN GALLERY
Jon Schueler
St. Nazaire: Sky Red Blues
oil on canvas
New York, November 1982
70 x 63 in/177.8 x 160.02 cm
o/c 1276
Upcoming Solo Exhibition
Sept.18 to October 29, 2025
ART AT KIRKCALDY GALLERIES
Collecting the Contemporary: Scottish Art at Kirkcaldy Galleries
This display features works by modern and contemporary painters who were inspired by Scotland. In addition to works by John Bellany, Ken Currie, Callum Innes and Jon Schueler,
31 Jan 2025 - 31 Dec 2027
WOMAN IN THE SKY
Magda Salvesen lives amongst thousands of her late husband's paintings. Her loft -- the same one she and Jon shared as a couple -- remains both her home and the site of the recently formed Jon Schueler Foundation, a living museum dedicated to preserving Jon's legacy. Every wall is hung with Schuelers -- they surround Magda's life, and make it up. A celebrated garden and art historian in her own right, Magda has nonetheless dedicated her life to these paintings.
Director Biography - Max Woertendyke