Edward E. Boccia: An American Modernist

Philip Slein Gallery is hosting Edward E. Boccia: An American Modernist, an exhibition of over 30 paintings by the St. Louis artist, running from October 23 through December 19. The opening reception is Friday, October 23, from 5 to 8 PM. Most of the work comes from the Edward E. Boccia Artist Trust, and a good number of the pieces have never been shown before, so it's a rare chance to see a large chunk of his output in one room.

Boccia (1921–2012) was a painter, educator, and writer whose work pulled from mythology, literature, religion, and art history. He blended futurist energy, cubist space, surrealist automatism, and Italianate draftsmanship into a lyrical, neo-classical vocabulary. He came to Washington University in St. Louis in 1951 and taught there for more than three decades, and before that, he was the founding dean of what's now the Columbus College of Art & Design. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army's 603rd Engineer Camouflage Battalion—the 'Ghost Army'—which staged battlefield deceptions across Europe.

He studied at the Art Students League, where he met Thomas Hart Benton, and at The Pratt Institute, later earning degrees from Columbia University. In 1946, Joseph Stella's The Bridge (Brooklyn Bridge) sparked an epiphany that steered him back toward figuration and religious-existential themes. His work is held in more than 600 public and private collections, and he was championed by the St. Louis collector Morton D. May.

The show spans five decades of his career, so it's a broad look at how his work evolved over time. The gallery is at 4735 McPherson Avenue, and admission is free and open to the public. The opening reception is Friday, October 23, from 5 to 8 PM, and the exhibition runs through December 19.