Boccia Retrospective Fills Slein Gallery Space

Philip Slein Gallery opened a full-space exhibition of Edward E. Boccia on October 23, a move the owner called the largest individual show in the venue's 23-year history. The retrospective, titled Edward E. Boccia: An American Modernist, runs through December 19 at 4735 McPherson Avenue.

Slein, who typically reserves the front room for solo shows, expanded the installation to occupy the entire facility. "This is a very significant show," Slein said. "The only thing that could be bigger than this would be at an institution." The gallery held a reception from 5 to 8 p.m. on the opening night to launch the event.

Boccia, who died in 2012 at age 91, lived in St. Louis for six decades. He was born in New Jersey in 1921 to Italian parents and studied at the Pratt Institute, the Art Students League, and Columbia University. After serving in the World War II Ghost Army, he taught at the Columbus Art School in Ohio before joining Washington University in 1951. He remained at the university for more than 30 years, retiring in 1986 as professor emeritus.

The exhibition displays more than 30 paintings that span his career. The front room features large-scale works, including the nine-panel polyptych "Eugene's Journey" and the 2004 triptych "David's Death." A hallway section presents mythic ocean scenes, while the final room contains a salon wall that traces his stylistic evolution from a 1950s portrait to a piece painted shortly before his death. The collection references influences including Paul Cézanne, Pablo Picasso, René Magritte, and Max Beckmann.

Rosa Berland, an art historian and curator based in New York, wrote the exhibition's companion monograph, Edward E. Boccia: Painter of Nightmares and Dreams. Published by Hirmer, the book is the first major monograph on the artist and includes dozens of images and scholarly essays. Berland spent 14 years researching the project and described Boccia's teaching style as rigorous but open.

Berland noted that Boccia produced thousands of paintings, ranging from small seaside scenes to monumental multi-panel works. She credited Morton D. May, whose collection was partially gifted to the Saint Louis Art Museum, as the artist's greatest patron. "This is really a story of a kid from New York who found success in St. Louis," Berland said.

The gallery prepared a pamphlet for visitors that includes a quote from Boccia: "Don't worry about what my art means. Just experience it." Berland said the work demands engagement on multiple levels, comparing the viewing experience to reading a poem or a philosophical text.

The exhibition remains open to the public through December 19. The companion book will be available for purchase during the run of the show.

Slein said Boccia kept working until his death, adding, "If he wasn't sleeping or eating, he was drawing."