Solemn Spaces: Works by Robert Kipniss

Before he pursued painting seriously, renowned Brooklyn born artist Robert Kipniss wrote with conviction that he would spend his life as a poet and fiction writer. When he took a break from writing in the early 1960s, his paintings took on similar characteristics: moody tension, a dark monochromatic palette, and slightly surreal themes.

This exhibition from the FWMoA’s archives dives into the shared stylistic characteristics between Kipniss’ writings and art, which hints of human presence but displays no actual figure. His distinct minimal style of muted tones and unadorned, almost geometric forms—often featuring a lone cup, house, or chair—call to mind the often solitary and sometimes lonely journey of the human soul.

This exhibition has been curated by Lauren Wolfer, Associate Curator of Special Collections and Archives, and is supported by the Edward D. and Ione Auer Foundation.