A long-overdue publication that restores Wilfred to the art-historical canon
Lumia presents a long-overdue reevaluation of the groundbreaking artist Thomas Wilfred (18891968), whose unprecedented works prefigured light art in America. As early as 1919, many years before the advent of consumer television and video technology, Wilfred began experimenting with light as his primary artistic medium, developing the means to control and project unique compositions of colorful, undulating light forms, which he referred to collectively as lumia. Manifested as both live performances on a cinematic scale and self-contained structures, Wilfreds innovative displays captivated audiences and influenced generations of artists to come. This publication, the first dedicated to Wilfred in over forty years, draws on the artists personal archives and includes a number of insightful essays that trace the development of his work and its relation to his cultural milieu. Featuring a foreword by the celebrated artist James Turrell, Lumia helps to secure Wilfreds rightful place within the canon of modern art.
Distributed for the Yale University Art Gallery
Exhibition Schedule:
Yale University Art Gallery (02/17/1707/23/17)
Smithsonian American Art Museum (10/06/1701/07/18)
