Mercedes Matter, Untitled, 1936. Oil on canvas, 38 x 35 in. Courtesy of Mark Borghi and the American Federation of Arts (from the Levett Collection and FAMM). Photo: Fraser Marr.
LOUISVILLE, KY.- What does it mean to experience a painting not just with your eyes but with your whole self? Abstract Expressionists: The Women (May 16–August 30, 2026) invites Museum guests into a powerful encounter with art that stirs emotion, ignites curiosity, and shifts perception.
For the first tine in Kentucky, visitors can see a major exhibition devoted to Abstract Expressionism. This presentation brings together nearly 50 significant paintings by more than 30 women artists between 1936 and 1977, including artists such as Elaine de Kooning, Helen Frankenthaler, Grace Hartigan, Lee Krasner, and Joan Mitchell, as well as Bernice Bing, Howardena Pindell, and Alma Thonas, among many others. Together, these works demonstrate how women artists reshaped Abstract Expressionism through innovation, risk-taking, and profound engagement with the human experience, offering a more expansive and inclusive account of the movement’s history…