Claremont, CA—The Benton Museum of Art at Pomona College offers the first public showing of numerous works by Mavis Pusey as part of an ongoing collaboration with the artist and collector Ian White in the fall exhibition Mavis Pusey, Restless: From the Collection of Ian White, on view from August 22, 2026, to January 3, 2027. The exhibition draws on White’s extensive collection to chronicle the development of Pusey’s distinct style of hard-edge geometric abstraction, which was inspired by her lived experiences across multiple professions—painter, printmaker, designer, educator, and draftsperson—and continents throughout her lifetime.
“It is with both celebration and a profound sense of responsibility that we uplift Mavis Pusey’s story—mindful of the all-too-common erasure of voices and expressions like hers throughout history,” says Paulina Alvarez, guest curator. “By tracing evidence found in public archives and in the artworks themselves, we celebrate the fragments that allow us to piece together her resonant legacy. With this exhibition and forthcoming catalogue, we not only honor her enduring impact across many spheres but also seize the chance to introduce students and visitors to her remarkable example. Presenting this expansive selection of works from her rigorous oeuvre feels especially meaningful, as her decades as an educator continue to inspire new generations in a setting like the Benton.”
Pusey (1928–2019) was born in Jamaica and went to New York in the late 1950s to study fashion. She lived in Paris and London in the mid- to late 1960s before moving back to the Chelsea neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, where she contributed to the vibrant intellectual and artistic life of New York for two decades. During this period, she worked in renowned community art spaces that encouraged experimentation—notably, the Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop, alongside artists like Emma Amos and Faith Ringgold, as well as Benjamin Wigfall’s Communications Village. The rising cost of living in New York and the effect of urban renewal on housing resulted in Pusey’s move to Virginia in 1988, where she spent her remaining years.
Titled after a poem written by the artist herself, Mavis Pusey, Restless features previously unseen works by Pusey from White’s collection, including paintings, drawings, watercolors, gouaches, and editioned prints in several media—and 10 works comprising a generous gift by Ian White to the Benton. Beginning with Pusey’s early works and her embrace of an abstract visual language, the exhibition further represents the artist’s experimentation and processes in various printmaking disciplines, displaying printing matrices alongside preliminary drawings and related editioned prints. Mavis Pusey, Restless culminates with an examination of the artist’s work as a painter in formats of varying scale and color palettes. This selection from White’s collection illuminates the extraordinary life behind a ceaseless commitment to abstraction that deserves recognition during this period of renewed interest.
Mavis Pusey, Restless: From the Collection of Ian White is organized by guest curator Paulina Alvarez. The exhibition is accompanied by a 160-page scholarly publication, with original research, 141 plates, and a conversation with Ian White and Akili Tommasino. Additional contributions include essays by Paulina Alvarez, Nneka Jackson, and Meg Onli. The catalogue will be available on August 22, 2026, for purchase at the Benton Museum of Art and the museum’s online store.
Support for this exhibition has been provided by the Eva Cole and Clyde Matson Memorial Fund as well as the Janet Inskeep Benton ’79 Endowed Fund.
The exhibition catalogue has been generously supported by a special allocation from Pomona College President G. Gabrielle Starr as well as important additional funding provided by the Rembrandt Club of Pomona College and Claremont.
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