On view now at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, in Hartford, Conn., "Herbert Ferber: Space in Tension" features a selection of more than 40 works spanning five decades from renowned artist Herbert Ferber (1906-1991). The exhibition includes Ferber's dynamic sculptures as well as vibrant paintings.

Best known as a sculptor, Ferber was a pioneer of the post-World War II Abstract Expressionist movement alongside artists including Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko and Clyfford Still.

Switching from wood and stone carvings to welded metal in the 1940s, Ferber's works broke with tradition, exploring dynamic three-dimensional forms as an extension of space rather than self-contained pieces. In that decade the artist was heavily influenced by German Expressionism and Surrealism; his pieces often featured discordant, dreamlike forms.

In the 1950s Ferber turned some attention back to his origins as a painter after a 20-year hiatus, and continued intermittently painting in addition to sculpting for the rest of his life. Ferber's paintings feature geometric forms and bold colors, in contrast with his metal sculptures.

In 1961, Ferber created one of the first immersive room-size installations and presented it at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.

"Herbert Ferber: Space in Tension" is organized by the Lowe Art Museum at the University of Miami. The exhibition is on view through July 29, 2018. 

Public Program Highlights 

Art historian Irving Sandler and art critic Phyllis Tuchman, who both interviewed Herbert Ferber for the "Archives of American Art," will explore abstraction, Jewish identity, and artistic training in a gallery talk titled, "Herbert Ferber & the New York School," April 27 at noon; free with museum admission. David Getsy, professor of art history at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, will discuss post-WWII sculpture in the United States in his lecture, "David Smith, Herbert Ferber & Abstract Expressionism," May 17 at 6:30 p.m.; free admission, public reception and gallery viewing begin at 5:30 p.m. 

Founded in 1842, the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art is the oldest continuously operating public art museum in the United States. The museum's nearly 50,000 works of art span 5,000 years, from Greek and Roman antiquities to the first museum collection of American contemporary art. Public phone: (860) 278-2670; website: thewadsworth.org.