This solo exhibition celebrates the artist’s iconic color field paintings. Born in Philadelphia, Berkowitz spent much of his career in Washington, DC. A co-founder and director of the Workshop Center, as well as an influential teacher and mentor, Berkowitz emerged as one of the leading figures of the Color Field School along with Morris Louis, Kenneth Noland and Gene Davis who were all founders of the Washington Color School.
Berkowitz developed a singular technique of applying numerous thin glazes of oil paint which allowed him to achieve a subtle visual luminosity. Comprised of 30 to 60 very thin layers of color, his paintings developed into radiant tapestries of color and light, praised for both their technical skill and spiritual resonance. His paintings investigate ways color and light convey spirit and the passage of time. For Berkowitz, color was a vehicle for light, and light was a vehicle for the spirit.
His work is represented in major collections including the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the Phillips Collection, the Museum of Modern Art, the Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art, the Wadsworth Atheneum, the High Museum and the James A. Michener collection, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington DC and the National Museum of American Art, Washington DC among others.
