Figuration/Abstraction: Highlights from the Collection

Dual installations reflect the split between figuration and abstraction that began in the early 1900s and grew over the course of the 20th century. The chasm between these two styles was not impassable, though—many artists made work that could slip fluidly from one category to the next, including celebrated Bay Area painter Richard Diebenkorn, whose work is featured in both installations.  Figuration/Abstraction illuminates how even within individual artists’ careers, the choice between working abstractly or figuratively was not always definitive.