Shape of abstraction: a selection from the Ollie collection

"Shape of abstraction: a selection from the Ollie collection"presents paintings, drawings and engravings of five generations of black artists who revolutionized abstract art in the 1940s. The exhibition features drawings by Norman Lewis, radical paintings by Sam Gilliam, James Little's experiments with color and Chakaya Booker's research in the field of printing. Despite their significant contribution, many of these experienced artists remain largely underestimated and are excluded from the existing narrative of art history.

In 2017, St. Louis native Ronald Ollie and his wife Monique presented the St. Louis Museum of Art with a collection of 81 black abstract artworks.