North Carolina's experimental Black Mountain College managed to support some of the most influential contemporary thinkers in its short 24-year lifespan. Artists such as Robert Rauschenberg, John Cage, Josef and Anni Albers, and Merce Cunningham studied and taught at the progressive liberal arts college. The Hammer Museum is examining BMC's legacy with more than 250 objects by nearly 100 artists who attended the interdisciplinary school, including two soundscapes, a grand piano and a dance floor for live performances.
RECOMMENDED: Praising and probing the myth of Black Mountain College at the Hammer's must-see art exhibition
Josef Albers, Leaf Study IX. c. 1940. Leaves on paper, 28 x 24 ¾ inches. (c) The Josef and Anni Albers Foundation/ Artists Rights Society New York. Photo: Tim Nighswander/Imaging 4 Art.