Clyfford Still: Paintings, 1944-1960.

Plagens, Peter

HIRSHHORN MUSEUM AND SCULPTURE GARDEN

Nobody, but nobody, could cop attitude like Clyfford Still (1904-80): "I held it imperative to evolve an instrument of thought which would aid in cutting through all cultural opiates, past and present, so that a direct, immediate, and truly free vision could be achieved." The question of whether Still's abstract painting can shoulder such a megalomaniacal burden will be raised by a modest thirty-nine-painting "reintroduction" exhibition organized by Hirshhorn director James Demetrion. That'll have to do, because Still's estate is as thorny as he was: It has hundreds of paintings--allegedly bound for a future Still museum--and simply won't loan. June 21-Sept. 16.