Artist Joan Mitchell’s bold, lyrical canvases made her one of the defining voices of Abstract Expressionism — and one of the few women to claim an enduring place in the movement’s history. A century after her birth, institutions around the world are celebrating her legacy, including UC Santa Barbara’s Art, Design & Architecture Museum.
The museum has mounted a focused exhibition of “Sunflower” (1970), one of the most significant works in its collection and an early entry in Mitchell’s celebrated sunflower series. Gifted to the museum in 1985, the massive canvas fills nearly an entire wall, greeting viewers with a field of color and texture that conveys both vitality and fragility.
“Sunflower is one of the most important works in our collection,” said Ana Briz, assistant director and curator of exhibitions at the AD&A Museum. “Mitchell is a towering figure of Abstract Expressionism, and she holds her own alongside names like Jackson Pollock. But she also carved out space as a woman in a movement largely defined by men. Many women artists have looked up to her as a model of independence and creative integrity.”…