This exhibition brought together a selection of works by artists who were working in the 1960s, while also highlighting those of a younger generation who have both redefined and continued the legacy of Minimalism. The exhibition featured works by Carl Andre, Dan Flavin, Donald Judd, Ellsworth Kelly, Barnett Newman, Richard Serra, and Richard Tuttle, as well as more recent work by Robert Gober, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Roni Horn, and Rachel Whiteread. In addition to juxtapositions that emphasized both the similarities and differences between artistic approaches, Minimalism and Beyond also engaged in a dialogue with the disciplined architecture of the Pulitzer’s building—designed by Tadao Ando—which is similarly committed to the simplicity of materials and space.
St. Louis has rich tradition of supporting and showing Minimalist art, and this exhibition drew heavily from local collections, including that of the Saint Louis Art Museum. The gallery guide for Minimalism and Beyond also included a selection of poems chosen by The Poetry Foundation to accompany the installation, featuring William Carlos Williams, A.R. Ammons, Robert Creeley, and others. Like the works on view at the Pulitzer, these short poems explored the tension between simplicity and complexity; reconsidered the division between thought and feeling; and challenged the differences that we ascribe to perception and meaning in the arts.
