FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wichita, Kansas – August 19, 2025

Wichita, Kansas – August 19, 2025 – The Wichita Art Museum will present the landmark exhibition Abstract Expressionists: The Women beginning August 24, 2025. This exhibition highlights the vital contributions of women artists to Abstract Expressionism—an American art movement that has long been defined by male artists such as Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning.

Featuring over 47 works by more than 30 pioneering artists, including Grace Hartigan, Helen Frankenthaler, Elaine de Kooning, and Joan Mitchell, the exhibition offers a fresh look at their radical and monumental contributions to the style that defined mid-20th-century art.

“Too often, the canon of art history has relegated women artists to supporting roles in major art movements. Abstract Expressionists: The Women upends that narrative, asserting that women painters were critical contributors to the formulation of Abstract Expressionism from the very beginning. Their influence continues to spread, now more than ever,” said Pauline Forlenza, Director & CEO, American Federation of Arts.

Wichita is the first stop on 5-city national tour that brings these works to the United States from Europe. Abstract Expressionists: The Women is organized by the American Federation of Arts, drawing from the Levett Collection and FAMM (Female Artists of the Mougins Museum, France). The exhibition provides visitors with a unique opportunity to see masterpieces that are normally on view thousands of miles away. Focusing on the talent, commitment, and ingenuity of more than two dozen women artists, this exhibition reveals the vital impact women painters made on the first internationally renowned artistic movement to originate in the United States.

Exhibition Details
Abstract Expressionists: The Women
August 24–November 16, 2025
Wichita Art Museum

◆ Early access on Saturday, August 23 is exclusive to WAM members. The exhibition opens to the public on Sunday, August 24.
◆ FREE for WAM members
◆ $12 adults/seniors | $3 SNAP/EBT
◆ FREE for youth 18 & under and college students with ID

Tickets are available at the Welcome Desk or online. Tickets purchased online must be redeemed at the Welcome Desk. Admission is valid for the entire run of the exhibition.

Exhibition Credit
Abstract Expressionists: The Women is organized by the American Federation of Arts from the Christian Levett Collection and FAMM (Female Artists of the Mougins Museum), France. The exhibition is curated by Dr. Ellen G. Landau. It is generously supported by Berry Campbell Gallery, Betsy Shack Barbanell, Monique Schoen Warshaw, and Clare McKeon and the Clare McKeon Charitable Trust. Additional support has been provided by the Pollock-Krasner Foundation and the Every Page Foundation.

Presenting Sponsor
Koch Family Foundation

Principal Sponsor
Dwayne and Velma Wallace Foundation

Distinguished Sponsors
Connie Bonfy
Dr. Harold and Evelyn Gregg
The Shaw Family Foundation

2025 exhibitions and public programs are generously supported by the Downing Foundation. All museum exhibitions receive generous sponsorship from the Friends of the Wichita Art Museum and the City of Wichita.

Photos courtesy of the American Federation of Arts.
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For more information about the exhibition and events: wam.org/abex
Contact: Naama Marcos Director of Marketing and Communications | marcos@wam.org| 316-268-4985
Wichita Art Museum: 1400 West Museum Boulevard, Wichita, Kansas USA 67203 | 316-268-4921

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