January 20 – April 28
North and South Galleries

The Pattern and Decoration Art Movement, often referred to as P&D, emerged prominently within the American art scene in the 1970’s, marking a notable departure from the prevailing trends in contemporary art during its time, characterized by the dominance of minimalism and conceptualism. While not exclusively aligned with feminist principles, P&D shared a close affiliation with the feminist art movement, championing practices and craft-based techniques traditionally associated with “women’s work.” It boldly challenged the notion that intricate, repetitive patterns, and vibrant colors were of a lesser artistic value. Artists were inspired from diverse decorative influences, such as decorative motifs from the Middle East, Africa, Japan, and Central America. P&D deliberately redefined itself as the “merely decorative,” positioning itself as an act of defiance and empowerment in the pleasure of creativity. In doing so, the artists associated with this movement, many of whom are now represented in the LRMA collection, disrupted long-standing hierarchies in the art world among art historians, artists, and art critics of the 1970s and 80s.