During the mid-20th century, artists began to challenge the physical and conceptual boundaries of traditional museum spaces. Echoing MoMA’s 1947 Large-Scale Modern Paintings exhibition where works were required to exceed six feet in one dimension, this exhibition draws from the Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art’s permanent collection to present large-format canvases created in the 1990s. These works immerse viewers in a field of color, gesture, and texture, reflecting a decade marked by globalization and identity. The paintings on view depict elements of Formalism, Impressionism, Abstract Expressionism, and Conceptualism, offering a layered visual language rooted in both personal and collective narratives. 

Large Format / Works on Canvas expands the discourse of Abstract Expressionism by showcasing contributions from artists engaged in the development of Montana Modernism. Artists such as Gennie DeWeese (1921-2007), Jerome Rankin (1934-2024), and Jim Poor (1936-2014) explored scale and material with a regional sensibility, shaped by Montana’s landscapes and artistic communities. The exhibition also includes work by Michael Sechena (b. 1953) and Bonnie Laing Malcolmson (b. 1952), whose ambitious canvases from the 1990s reflect contemporary concerns with materiality and meaning. Together, these artists demonstrate how scale continues to act as a transformative force reshaping space, perception, and the ongoing dialogue between local and global art histories. 

This exhibition is curated from the Permanent Collection by Nicole Maria Evans, Chief Curator & Director of Curatorial Affairs at Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art. Exhibitions at the museum are supported in part by the Montana Arts Council, a state agency funded by the State of Montana, and the National Endowment for the Arts. We are funded in part by coal severance taxes paid based upon coal mined in Montana and deposited in Montana's cultural and aesthetic projects trust fund. Additional funding is provided by museum members and the citizens of Cascade County, Davidson Family Foundation, D.A. Davidson, Montana Credit Union, Hotel Arvon, First Interstate Bank, an anonymous donor, and Kelly’s Signs & Design.