Sam Feinstein, Group ‘55, and Midcentury Abstraction in Philadelphia

On view from September 26, 2020 to May 9, 2021.

In 1955, a group of Philadelphia painters, architects, musicians, and dancers organized a series of exhibitions and public forums across the city, presenting their work as a catalyst for vigorous public dialogue about the role of art and science in the postwar era. Group ’55, as they came to be known, was led by the artist Sam Feinstein. Their public forums included architect Louis Kahn, composer George Rochberg, and painters Charles Bechtle, Quita Brodhead, Michael Ciliberti, Sam Freid, Sanford Greenberg, Raymond Hendler, Frances Lachman, Sam Maitin, Patricia Mangione, Jane Piper, Doris Staffel, and many others.

This is a multi-venue initiative that involves three exhibitions: Sam Feinstein: Immersive Abstraction (on view through April 11, 2021) and Group ’55 and Midcentury Abstraction in Philadelphia (through May 9, 2021) at Woodmere, and Sam Feinstein: The Early Years at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy (on view through January 24, 2021).