Art News. Vasari Codex

museum exhibitions schedule May 26, 2026 link 11 artists

One Fine Show: “Beyond Mysticism, The Modern Northwest” at the Seattle Art Museum

A new exhibition at the Seattle Art Museum, “Beyond Mysticism: The Modern Northwest,” reexamines the legacy of a 1953 LIFE magazine feature that anointed four Seattle artists—Mark Tobey, Morris Graves, Kenneth Callahan, and Guy Anderson—as the faces of a distinct regional Modernism. The show expands the original narrative by including Asian artists like Kamekichi Tokita, whose work challenges the magazine's oversimplified framing, and features 150 works across painting, drawing, photography, and sculpture. It also connects the movement to Abstract Expressionism and contemporary environmental concerns, pairing pieces by artists such as Malcolm Roberts with works by Salvador Dalí and Georgia O'Keeffe.

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Beyond Mystics, the Northwest Contribution to Modern Art

The article profiles Kenneth Callahan, a key figure in Northwest modern art and former director of the Seattle Art Museum, who found inspiration in the coastal landscapes of the Long Beach Peninsula. It highlights his role alongside Mark Tobey, Guy Anderson, and Morris Graves—collectively known as "The Big Four"—in establishing the value of Northwest art. The piece also announces a current exhibition at the Seattle Art Museum titled "Beyond Mysticism—The Modern Northwest," which features Callahan prominently alongside major American artists such as Franz Kline, Mark Rothko, and Helen Frankenthaler, and runs through August 2.