Yet his Eastern-inspired symbolist art had become less visible by the 1990s, perhaps due to the ascendance of Postmodernism and his work’s stagnation in conventional tabletop still-life. The reclusive artist from rural Oregon had two major exhibitions at the Whitney Museum of American Art (in 19), counted John Cage and Merce Cunningham as close friends (both wrote poetry about him), and sat heavy-lidded for portraits by Imogen Cunningham and Brassaï. ‘The Visionary Art of Morris Graves (1910–2001)’ was a substantial exhibition of 45 works marking the centenary of Graves’ birth and celebrating his loyal following in his native Pacific Northwest. Gouache and watercolor on paper, 11.25 x 12 in.
