The Denver Art Museum has continued to showcase a diverse collection of artwork throughout 2016 that not only reflects the community, but also immerses audiences in many different cultures from across the globe.

Thirteen works of art have been selected as acquisition highlights from 2016, including work by Daniel Richter, Sonia Gechtoff, Ansel Adams and Marie Watt.

Daniel Richter’s piece, “D.P. II,” walks the line between chaos and structure. Richter uses otherworldly imagery to convey the panic and wariness seen in the contemporary world. Influenced by comic books and newspapers, and packed with art historical references, Richter’s sporadic strokes create a palpable anxiety.

Daniel Richter’s DP II

Sonia Gechtoff, a successful Bay Area Abstract Expressionist painter during the 1950s, creates movement through elegant brushwork, leading the audience from one edge of the piece to another in her featured piece, “Blue Two.” The canvas’ original composition was blue, hence the title, but upon returning to the piece, Gechtoff completed it using mainly greens. Gechtoff was one of the 12 female artists showcased in DAM’s exhibit, Women of Abstract Expressionism.

Sonia Gechtoff’s Blue Two

Ansel Adams’ black and white photographs of the North American landscape have sparked environmental appreciation for nearly 80 years. His highlighted print, “El Capitan, Yosemite National Park, California,” is part of Adams’ lesser-known work of the 1930s. Adams aided in the formation of Group f/64: an association of seven California photographers, who operated under the mindset of making a truthful presentation of nature through photography. The group rejected the idea of manipulating a photograph to make it look like something that it was not, and believed that an emotional response could happen from form alone.

Marie Watt, highlighted for her piece, “Butterfly,” began her sculptural hung textile during her residency at the DAM in the summer of 2013. Two young female powwow dancers who described to Watt how it felt when they were dancing inspired this work of art. Having a strong sense of community empowerment, Watt invited visitors who attended the DAM’s 2014 Friendship Powwow to create a sewing circle and work on Butterfly together. Not only is her artwork inspired by pop art and abstract expressionism, but it is also influenced by the pro-feminism of the Iroquois matrilineal custom and the political work of Native artists in the 1960s.

Marie Watt’s Butterfly

Also highlighted in this exhibition, are works from Penelope Umbrico, Rei Kawakubo, Mateo Pérez de Alesio, John Singer Sargent, Gio Ponti and John Prip, Valentina Gonzalez Wohlers and Alexander Phimster Proctor.

For more information on the acquisitions and upcoming exhibitions, visit the Denver Art Museum website.