Edward E. Boccia: An American Modernist

Opening Reception: Friday, October 23rd, 5-8pm

October 23rd - December 19th, 2026

EXHIBITION STATEMENT

Philip Slein Gallery presents Edward E. Boccia: An American Modernist, on view October 23, 2026, through December 19, 2026. Bringing together over 30 paintings spanning more than five decades, the exhibition includes never-before-exhibited works alongside the monumental multi-panel paintings for which Boccia is best known, many of which are represented in major museum collections. The exhibition coincides with the publication of Edward E. Boccia: Painter of Nightmares and Dreams (Hirmer Publishers), the first major scholarly monograph devoted to the artist.

Drawn primarily from the Edward E. Boccia Artist Trust, the exhibition traces Boccia's career from the powerful expressionist paintings of the 1950s through the ambitious symbolic compositions of his later years. Highlights include Recollections of a Sea Gull (1957), Sea Myth (1957),Fantasy for a Rooster (1968–81), Undine (1968),

Encounter (1989), Path of Redemption, No. 2 (1987), Waiting for the Coming of a Stranger (1993), David's Death (2004), and Young Adam and Eve (2006), demonstrating the remarkable range of the artist's vision.

 Edward E. Boccia (1921–2012) enjoyed a distinguished career as an artist, educator, and writer. Recruited to Washington University in St.Louis in 1951, he taught there for more than three decades while influencing generations of artists. Earlier, he served as the founding dean of what is now the Columbus College of Art & Design. During his lifetime, Boccia exhibited extensively throughout the United States and internationally, and his work was acquired by major public and private collections. Among his most significant patrons was the renowned St.

Louis collector Morton D. May, whose support helped establish one of the country's leading collections of modern art. Today, Boccia's work isrepresented in more than 600 public and private collections, including major museums worldwide.

 Long admired for paintings that draw upon mythology, literature, religion, and the history of art, Boccia developed a deeply personal visual language that defies easy categorization. The exhibition offers visitors an opportunity to experience the full breadth of his achievement, from intimate early paintings to the monumental polyptychs, triptychs, and diptychs that became hallmarks of his career. Many of the works haverarely been exhibited publicly, while several are presented for the first time.

 The exhibition coincides with the publication of Edward E. Boccia: Painter of Nightmares and Dreams, published by Hirmer Publishers. The first major scholarly monograph devoted to the artist, the volume brings together new research, essays by leading scholars, and extensive illustrations, offering the most comprehensive examination of Boccia's life and work to date. Internationally recognized for its distinguished art publications, Hirmer collaborates with many of the world's leading museums, universities, and cultural institutions.

"Edward E. Boccia enjoyed a remarkable career as an artist, educator, and exhibitor. Bringing together more than five decades of his work—from early masterworks to never-before-exhibited paintings and the monumental multi-panel compositions that became hallmarks of his career—this exhibition offers a rare opportunity to experience the extraordinary breadth of his artistic achievement. Together with the publication of the first major scholarly monograph on the artist, it invites collectors and the public to look anew at one of St. Louis's most significant painters."

—Rosa Berland, curator; lead author and editor of Edward E. Boccia: Painter of Nightmares and Dreams

Presented in St. Louis, where Boccia spent the majority of his professional career, Edward E. Boccia: An American Modernist celebrates an artist whose work continues to inspire collectors, scholars, and museum audiences alike. Together, the exhibition and accompanying publication mark an important new chapter in the appreciation of one of the region's most accomplished painters.