Total Abstraction

Through Aug. 30, free, Woodmere Art Museum, 9201 Germantown Ave., 215-247-0476, woodmereartmuseum.org.

by Shaun Brady

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Published: Aug 18, 2009

visual art

Abstraction is a rather, well, abstract concept on which to hang an exhibition, but Woodmere recognizes its position on the border between city and suburbs, offering a show that balances treasures for the initiated and hand-holding for the trepidatious. Drawing upon works from the Chestnut Hill museum's permanent collection, "Total Abstraction" brings together half a century's worth of pieces by artists from the Philadelphia area. Highlights range from Stuart Netsky's Thunder in the Sun (2006, pictured), frozen in fluid motion, to Jody Pinto's monolithic cement-and-pigment Untitled from 1967. The show benefits from Woodmere's unique circular gallery space, offering a variety of perspective-shifting views — close up, distant or even from above, on the balcony, where the concurrent exhibit of Philly impressionist John Pierce Barnes offers its own unexpected delights.

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