Maximum Color, Minimal Form: Ellsworth Kelly Returns to Newfields

This summer, the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields invites visitors to rediscover the bold simplicity and profound influence of one of America’s most celebrated abstract artists. Maximum Color, Minimal Form: The Panels of Ellsworth Kelly opens Friday, June 13 in the Damon C. and Kay D. Davis Lab, presenting a vivid reintroduction to Kelly’s enduring legacy through works last displayed in 2019.

Drawn from the IMA’s permanent collection, these large-scale, hard-edge paintings—acquired in 1995 and 1996—reflect Kelly’s revolutionary approach to visual language. A pioneer of postwar abstraction, Kelly stripped visual experience down to its essentials: vibrant color, pure shape, and the dynamic relationship between form and space. His panels are more than art objects; they are meditations on how we engage with our environment.

“Ellsworth Kelly’s work is both historically impactful and a crowd favorite,” said Sarah Trew, Curatorial Assistant and curator of the exhibition. “As individuals move through the exhibition, they might consider the shapes and colors that dominate their everyday lives and how Kelly presents this in its simplest form to prompt spatial harmony.”

Kelly’s inspiration came from the world around him—both the organic and the architectural. His reductive yet expressive technique helped shape the trajectory of American art in the latter half of the 20th century, pushing boundaries and encouraging viewers to see with new clarity.

This exhibition also highlights Kelly’s artistic connection to fellow American artist Robert Indiana. As the IMA marks the 50th anniversary of Indiana’s iconic LOVE sculpture—now a signature piece in the Pulliam Family Great Hall—Maximum Color, Minimal Form pays tribute to the dialogue between these two visionaries. Kelly’s pursuit of pure form and unmodulated color directly influenced Indiana’s work, helping to define an era.

To celebrate the opening, Newfields invites the public to Artful Party: Summer on Friday, June 27 from 8 to 10 p.m. Guests are encouraged to dress in their summer best and enjoy a vibrant evening of music, mingling, and curated experiences. The party will feature local DJs, seasonal cocktails inspired by each summer exhibition, and thoughtfully crafted hors d’oeuvres designed to complement the art on display.

Maximum Color, Minimal Form: The Panels of Ellsworth Kelly will be on view through January 26, 2026, offering visitors ample time to immerse themselves in the power of color and form—and to experience the profound simplicity of one of modern art’s true masters.

Image Credit: Ellsworth Kelly (American, 1923–2015), Dark Blue Panel, Dark Green Panel I and II, Gray Panel, Red-Orange Panel, Yellow Panel, White Panel, Dark Red-Violet Panel, Red Panel, and Black Panel, 1981, acrylic lacquer on aluminum, various dimensions. Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, Xenia and J. Irwin Miller Fund, 1996.174-177, 1996.179-184 © Ellsworth Kelly.