Kyle Morris
American, (1918-1979)
Kyle Morris was an influential part of the New York abstract expressionists during their heyday in the 1950s and 1960s. Early on, he was very much affiliated with the Stable Gallery, having his first solo exhibition there in 1955, and subsequently organizing the “Vanguard 1955 Show of 21 American Painters.” He went on to have numerous exhibitions at the Kootz Gallery, whose roster at the time included such greats as Hans Hofmann, Conrad Marca-Relli, James Brooks, Giorgio Cavallon, and Ray Parker. Morris was born in Des Moines Iowa, and went on to study painting at the Chicago Art Institute, as well as the prestigious hive of the Cranbrook Academy Art. His career in painting had a brief hiatus while he served in the Air Force during World War II, but upon his return, he took up teaching and painting again; holding teaching positions all over the country. These included Stephens College in Missouri, University of Texas in Austin, University of Minneapolis in Minnesota, and Columbia University in New York City. Morris eventually moved to New York City, and finally out to East Hampton in 1974, where he lived out his days. Though his early work was romantic and figurative, he slowly moved into abstraction, becoming fascinated with compositions of blocks of color. This style slowly gave way to the type of paintings that he was best known for; in these, the forms flow diagonally across the canvases, or obscure the entire surface, almost becoming a color field, as if Morris sliced up memories, or prior imagery, and tried to reassemble the shards. Figures still seem to have a kind of presence, even if not readily apparent in form. His work and teaching had an enormous influence on the “New York School.”
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