PHILADELPHIA, PA.- The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts presents the exhibit Robert Ryman: Small Works through January 28, 2007. Robert Ryman: Small Works focuses on a range of supports and mediums, from drawing and painting on paper, to painting on canvas and aluminum, underscoring the diversity of Ryman?s unique contribution to contemporary art. Selected from his personal collection, rarely exhibited, and consisting largely of works from his early years, the exhibition reveals the formation and evolution of Ryman?s artistic practice.

Ryman?s trademark emphasis on the interplay of materials and paint, the compositional importance he places on his signature, and his embrace of the square format are all evident. The color white, which is perhaps what we associate with Ryman the most, is present throughout the exhibition, but Small Works also showcases Ryman?s chromatic range that many audiences may be unfamiliar with. Rarely exhibited works, such as To Gertrude Mellon (1958) and an untitled oil painting from 1959 - two pieces that Ryman reacquired from their original owners within the last decade - have special meaning to the artist. The former was the first artwork Ryman ever sold (it was bought out of a staff exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art, where Ryman was once a security guard) and the latter Ryman considers his best painting.