1964 focuses on works made during a period of tremendous upheaval and transformation politically, socially, and artistically in the U.S. In the year following the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the country saw riots erupt in a number of cities; President Lyndon Johnson ordered the first bombings in North Vietnam, and the Beatles invaded with their first concerts and their appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show.

In the art world, a number of impulses were gaining momentum. Claes Oldenburg and George Segal introduced elements of pop culture in their sculptures, and an explosion of consumerism reverberated in the paintings of Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein. The bravura gestures of 1950s Abstract Expressionism gave way to explorations of distilled forms, colors, and geometries in the work of Ellsworth Kelly, Donald Judd, Carl Andre, and others. Meanwhile, Fluxus and other artistic movements were fusing together visual art, performance, music, film and graphic design; and a profusion of prints, multiples, artist’s books, and films was creating more open and democratic channels for disseminating art. With nearly 100 works, 1964 shows how the Walker collection mirrors this remarkably fertile moment in contemporary art.

Curator: Siri Engberg