“STRUCTURE, SHAPE AND COLOR NOW HAVE THE SAME OR EQUAL MOMENTUM. COLOR IS NOW VISIBLE, OR THE ATTITUDE OF IT BECOMES OBVIOUS.”
Larry Zox was a key figure in the Color Field movement of the 1960s and 1970s, known for his vibrant geometric abstractions. His work, characterized by dynamic color juxtapositions and hard-edge techniques, challenged the notion that such approaches were cold or formalistic. By the 1970s, Zox shifted to a more emotive style, emphasizing color over structure.
Born in Des Moines, Iowa, Zox studied at the University of Oklahoma and Drake University before moving to New York in 1958. His early works involved collages of painted paper, evolving into paintings that played with color and shape. Zox gained prominence with exhibitions like Shape and Structure (1965) and Systemic Painting (1966). His solo show at the Whitney Museum in 1973 and acquisition into the Hirshhorn Museum's collection further solidified his influence.
In the 1960s, Zox’s Rotation Series and Scissors Jack Series explored the dynamic interplay of color and form, using techniques like epoxy and acrylic paints to create perceptual tensions. His later works, including the Gemini Series, incorporated experimental methods and materials, such as powdered mica, showcasing his evolving approach to abstraction.
Zox’s work is included in many public collections. In addition to the Hirshhorn, it belongs to the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; the Metropolitan Museum of Art New York; the Guggenheim Museum, New York; the Tate Modern, London; the Neues Museum, Bremen, Germany; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; the Harvard Art Museums' Fogg Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts; the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts; and many others.