For nearly five decades, abstract painter Gloucester Caliman “G.C.” Coxe (1907-1999) was a fixture of the Louisville art scene. The first African-American to receive a fine arts degree from the University of Louisville, Coxe worked and exhibited in a milieu of artists including Sam Gilliam and Fred Bond. He co-founded the Louisville Art Workshop, where he worked alongside Gilliam, Bond, Robert Douglas, and Ed Hamilton, and was a mentor to generations of Louisville artists. In 2015 the Filson acquired three wonderful Coxe canvasses. These three pieces will be shown alongside additional paintings by Coxe generously loaned for the exhibition by Ed Hamilton, Dr. Robert Douglas, and Warren and Julie Payne of Payne Fine Arts. The paintings exhibit aspects of Coxe’s process and practice, ranging from vibrant pieces reminiscent of the color field movement to assemblages using everyday objects like cardboard and dowels to create stunning sculptural forms that leap away from the two-dimensional plane of the canvas.

For information on other upcoming exhibits visit filsonhistorical.org/exhibits.