Morris Graves On the Surface

Morris Graves’s still life paintings and studies of objects engaged his interests in furniture design, domestic spaces, symbolism, and transcendental consciousness. During the 1930s and 1940s, Graves experimented with materials (including newsprint, cardboard, rice paper, and a window shade) and subject matter ranging from the commonplace to the surreal. On the Surface is drawn primarily from the JSMA’s Graves at Oregon collection and includes two photographs of the artist and his home by Mary Randlett (American, 1924-2019).