DAYTON, OH.- The Dayton Art Institute is taking museum visitors back to the 1960s with its first Special Exhibition of 2021!

Changing Times: Art of the 1960s is now open and on view through September 12. This DAI-exclusive exhibition presents a look at the art of one of the most transformative and often turbulent decades the world has ever experienced.

The 1960s was a decade of remarkable change. It was a period of space exploration, the Vietnam War, national sovereignty from colonial rule for many nations and intense social activism—including civil rights, women’s equality and gay liberation. The growth in popular and youth culture also brought about seismic shifts in fashion, hairstyles and music. Likewise, the visual arts reflected the changing times and were equally varied and vibrant.

The visual arts of the decade reflect the social and political movements of the era, seen in the diverse styles of Pop, Op, Minimalism and Conceptual art, and artists working in abstract styles responded to the influences of earlier artists. A continued rise in prosperity, particularly in America, brought about greater opportunities for artists and collectors, while the civil rights movement and sexual revolution offered greater participation in the arts. Through experimentation with new media, styles and forms, artists in the 1960s broke down boundaries between fine and popular art, a trend that continues today.

“The visual arts in the 1960s are bold, brash, sometimes humorous and always intriguing,” said DAI Chief Curator and Director of Education, Jerry N. Smith. “It was a decade when the Dayton Art Institute was actively collecting, so the museum’s collection has particularly strong holdings from this era. It is exciting to see the various styles that flowered through the ‘60s.”

Changing Times: Art of the 1960s is organized by the Dayton Art Institute with selections made entirely from the museum’s extensive collection. It features more than 80 works by artists such as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Jim Dine, Aka Pereyma, Robert Motherwell, Gene Davis, Sol LeWitt and many others. Half of the works in the exhibition were collected by the DAI during the decade of the 1960s, and most have not recently been on view.

“The Dayton Art Institute is the only venue for this exhibition, and this is a fantastic opportunity to view some rarely seen artworks from the museum’s collection,” said DAI Director & CEO, Michael R. Roediger. “As the state begins to fully reopen, it’s a great time to rediscover your Dayton Art Institute, and we remain committed to ensuring the safety of all guests. We hope to see many visitors this summer.”