Paintings by Hassel Smith

This exhibition featured Hassel Smith’s (1915–2007) abstract oil paintings from the late 1940s to 1961, and was the first major museum exhibition for the artist. The 35 works on view ranged in size from 25 by 21 inches to 70 by 120 inches and included Butterfly (1949); Dakota (1951); and The Little Big Horn (1952–1953). Many of these objects were lent by California dealers and collectors, including Mr. and Mrs. Andre Moreau, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Howard, the Ferus Gallery and the City of San Francisco. The exhibition was accompanied by a catalogue with an introduction written by Pasadena Art Museum Director Walter Hopps. Two works displayed in this exhibition, Tiptoe Down to Art (1950) and On the Eel (1959), are currently held in the Norton Simon Museum collection.