Clyfford Still Museum
Home to one of the world’s most intact public collections of any major artist, the Clyfford Still Museum offers nine beautiful galleries of Still’s art, historic photos, objects and letters from the Clyfford Still Archives, interactive features, a pair of tranquil outdoor terraces, views into storage and conservation areas, a hands-on art creation studio, shopping, exciting programs and events, and more.
The Clyfford Still Museum is located in the heart of Denver’s Golden Triangle Creative District. The two-story, 28,500-square-foot building was designed by Brad Cloepfil of Allied Works Architecture specifically to display Clyfford Still’s work.
Considered one of the most important painters of the 20th century, Clyfford Still (1904–1980) was among the first generation of Abstract Expressionist artists. The Clyfford Still Museum collection represents 93 percent of the artist’s lifetime output, including approximately 3,125 works created between 1920 and 1980 as well as his complete archives.
Current Exhibition:
Spotlight: Inside Collections Care and Conservation
Sep 15, 2023–April 28, 2024
As the third installment in CSM’s “Spotlight” series, nine distinct conservation “spotlights” will be integrated into the chronological installation across all nine of CSM’s galleries. Each conservation vignette explores a specific conservation issue or topic relevant to CSM’s collections, offering viewers an enhanced understanding of Still’s process, materials, and art through the lens of conservation at the Clyfford Still Museum. Conservation spotlights are illustrated through interpretative gallery text, scientific imagery, and related artworks. The spotlight concepts build in complexity over the course of the installation, providing the viewer with a linear way of understanding both the technical and philosophical scope of conservation and preservation-related practices.
Upcoming Exhibition:
Dialogue and Defiance: Clyfford Still and the Abstract Expressionists
Guest Curated by Valerie Hellstein
May 10, 2024–January 12, 2025
Clyfford Still withdrew his paintings from the Betty Parsons Gallery in 1951, refusing to participate in a market prioritizing the fame of an artist and the price of their artworks. The following year, he surprised many by agreeing to participate in a group show at the Museum of Modern Art. His rationale for doing so was because the curator, Dorothy Miller, agreed to show Still’s works together in their own gallery. As Still saw it, his work could be viewed on its own terms and not in direct comparison to other artists—but visitors could still see the scope of American painting in the mid-century. Even with his turn away from the art world, Still saw himself participating in something larger and remained in dialogue with his contemporaries. This exhibition considers the nuanced ways in which Clyfford Still was part of an artists’ community in the late 1940s and early 1950s, despite his protestations to the contrary, and how his paintings, through their scale and composition, promote ideas of community.
