Friday Tour: Composing Color

The Smart Museum of Art at the University of Chicago is a site for rigorous inquiry and exchange that encourages the examination of complex issues through the lens of art objects and artistic practice. Through strong community and scholarly partnerships, the Museum incorporates diverse ideas, identities, and experiences into its exhibitions and collections, academic initiatives, and public programming. The Smart first opened in 1974. Admission is always free.

Smart Museum of Art

Join Smart curator Galina Mardilovich for a guided tour of "Composing Color: Paintings by Alma Thomas."

Join Smart curator Galina Mardilovich for a guided tour of <a href="https://smartmuseum.uchicago.edu/exhibitions/composing-color-paintings-by-alma-thomas-from-the-smithsonian-american-art-museum" title="https://smartmuseum.uchicago.edu/exhibitions/composing-color-paintings-by-alma-thomas-from-the-smithsonian-american-art-museum" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Composing Color: Paintings by Alma Thomas</a>.<a href="https://smartmuseum.uchicago.edu/exhibitions/composing-color-paintings-by-alma-thomas-from-the-smithsonian-american-art-museum" title="https://smartmuseum.uchicago.edu/exhibitions/composing-color-paintings-by-alma-thomas-from-the-smithsonian-american-art-museum" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://smartmuseum.uchicago.edu/exhibitions/composing-color-paintings-by-alma-thomas-from-the-smithsonian-american-art-museum</a>

<h2>ABOUT THE EXHIBITION</h2>Alma Thomas (1891–1978) is a singular figure of twentieth-century American art. She developed her form of abstraction – characterized by the dazzling interplay of pattern and hue – late in life, after retiring from a long career as a schoolteacher. Her vibrant and rhythmic art transcended established genres, incorporating elements of gestural abstraction and color field painting and creating a style distinctly her own.Composing Color: Paintings by Alma Thomas draws on the extensive holdings of the artist’s paintings at the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) and offers an intimate view of Thomas’s evolving practice during her most prolific period, from 1959 to 1978. At a deeply politicized moment in American life, Thomas’s abiding sources of inspiration became the cosmos, nature, and music. As she stated, “Through color I have sought to concentrate on beauty and happiness, rather than on man’s inhumanity to man.” The exhibition invites visitors to see the world through the eyes of Alma Thomas.

<h2>IMAGE</h2>Installation view, Composing Color: Paintings by Alma Thomas from the Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2026. Smart Museum of Art, The University of Chicago.

Our {communityGuidelinesLink} describe the sort of content we prohibit on Eventbrite. If you suspect an event may be in violation, you can report it to us so we can investigate.

To report other categories of prohibited or illegal content, submit {link}

Friday Tour: Composing Color

Good to know

Location

Smart Museum of Art

How do you want to get there?

More events from Smart Museum of Art

Discover more events from Smart Museum of Art, from Arts to other experiences you might love.

Still looking for the right event?

Explore all events in Chicago and filter by date, category, and more to find the perfect fit.

Friday Tour: Composing Color

Good to know

Location

Smart Museum of Art

How do you want to get there?

More events from Smart Museum of Art

Discover more events from Smart Museum of Art, from Arts to other experiences you might love.

You might also like...

Browse more events with different dates, prices, and formats to find your next great experience.

Still looking for the right event?

Explore all events in Chicago and filter by date, category, and more to find the perfect fit.