Paul Reed: A Retrospective

June 6, 2026 - October 4, 2026

multi-colored striped painting by Paul Reed

Image Credit: Paul Reed, No. 18I (detail), 1965, acrylic on canvas, 34 x 26 in., Oklahoma City Museum of Art, gift of the Paul and Esther Reed Trust, 2018.022, © Paul and Esther Reed Trust, Image by Google.

About the Exhibition

A painter of formal rigor and bold experimentation, Paul Reed (1919-2015) was a seminal member of the Washington Color School, a group of cutting-edge abstract artists working in Washington, DC, during the 1960s. Reed was a gifted artist, teacher, and a major contributor to the golden age of modern painting in the nation's capital. His works are dynamic and colorful explorations of paint's fundamental possibilities.

Paul Reed: A Retrospective is organized by the Oklahoma City Museum of Art and curated by David Gariff, PhD.

Admission: free

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Paul Reed, Step, 1968, acrylic on canvas, 44 x 55 in., Oklahoma City Museum of Art, gift of the Paul and Esther Reed Trust, 2017.055. © Paul and Esther Reed Trust, photo. © Oklahoma City Museum of Art.

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Paul Reed, No. 16J, 1963, acrylic on canvas, 31 x 31 in., Oklahoma City Museum of Art, gift of the Paul and Esther Reed Trust, 2018.012. © Paul and Esther Reed Trust, Image by Google.

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Paul Reed, Barcelona I, 1968, acrylic on canvas, 44 x 55.5 in., Oklahoma City Museum of Art, gift of the Paul and Esther Reed Trust, 2018.049. © Paul and Esther Reed Trust, photo © Oklahoma City Museum of Art.

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Paul Reed, No 21, 1964, acrylic on canvas, 44 x 44 in., Oklahoma City Museum of Art, gift of the Paul and Esther Reed Trust, 2018.014. © Paul and Esther Reed Trust, Image by Google.

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Paul Reed, No. 15, 1962, acrylic on canvas, 37 x 46 in., Oklahoma City Museum of Art, gift of the Paul and Esther Reed Trust, 2018.007. © Paul and Esther Reed Trust, Image by Google.

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Paul Reed, Scottish, 1998, acrylic on canvas, 26 x 26 in., Oklahoma City Museum of Art, gift of the Paul and Esther Reed Trust, 2018.089. © Paul and Esther Reed Trust, photo © Oklahoma City Museum of Art.