Heard Museum Opens Original Exhibition Leon Polk Smith: Hiding in Plain Sight Beginning Friday, Feb. 5

PHOENIX, Feb. 3, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The newest original exhibition from the Heard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona, Leon Polk Smith: Hiding in Plain Sight, will explore the influence of American Indian creative expression on the work of iconic artist Leon Polk Smith from Friday, Feb. 5 through Monday, May 31.

Smith is a celebrated modernist painter and leader of the Hard-edge painting movement, an art form of the late 1950s and '60s that emphasizes geometric forms and bright colors.

This is the largest exhibition of Smith's paintings in more than 25 years and features 37 original works that span seven decades. The exhibition pairs Smith's paintings and works on paper with examples of American Indian beadwork, ribbon applique and painted hides from his native Oklahoma.

The Heard Museum is located at 2301 N. Central Ave. in Phoenix, Arizona.

A fully illustrated catalog with new scholarship is available.

Private media previews and tours can be scheduled by appointment.

Leon Polk Smith: Hiding in Plain Sight is made possible by:

Lead Supporters

Henry Luce Foundation

Exhibition catalogue is made possible through the generous support of
the Carl & Marilynn Thoma Art Foundation

Leon Polk Smith Foundation

Additional Support
Robert Lehman Foundation

Arizona Commission on the Arts
Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture
and
Patrons of the Grand Gallery Exhibition Fund

About the Henry Luce Foundation
A leader in arts funding in the United States, the Luce Foundation's American Art Program was established in 1982 to support museums, universities, and arts organizations in their efforts to advance the understanding and experience of American and Native American visual arts through research, exhibitions, publications, and collection projects.

About the Carl & Marilynn Thoma Art Foundation
The Carl & Marilynn Thoma Art Foundation recognizes the power of the arts to challenge and shift perceptions, spark creativity and connect people across cultures. We lend and exhibit artworks from our collection and support innovative individuals and pivotal initiatives in the arts.

About the Leon Polk Smith Foundation
The Leon Polk Smith Foundation was established to preserve and promote the art and legacy of Leon Polk Smith (1906-1996). The Foundation encourages and assists museums and other educational organizations to organize and produce exhibitions of and publications on Smith's work and to create online resources about his art and career.

ABOUT THE HEARD MUSEUM
Since its founding in 1929, the Heard Museum, a private nonprofit organization, has grown in size and stature to become recognized internationally for the quality of its collections, world-class exhibitions, educational programming and unmatched festivals. Dedicated to the advancement of American Indian art, the Heard successfully presents the stories of American Indian people from a first-person perspective, as well as exhibitions that showcase the beauty and vitality of traditional and contemporary art. The Heard Museum is supported, in part, by the generosity of Heard Museum members and donors, the Arizona Commission on the Arts, and the City of Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture.

SOURCE Heard Museum