Synthesis of form and color showcases a remarkable collection of early abstract paintings by renowned artist, Ethel Fisher. The exhibition will focus on Fisher's works from the 1940s and 1950s, a period that brought her critical success and cemented her esteemed place in the art world. Through these abstract works, Fisher's masterful use of color and form reveals the psychological depth and mystery that has long defined her art.

Fisher's formative work of this period embraced the history of art, architecture, and anthropology. She referred to it as "Abstract Impressionism" to distinguish her approach to form and color from that of Abstract Expressionism. Her innovative style combines the emotional resonance of color with the distinct, organic forms she created through rigorous compositional techniques. Early influences of Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, and Pablo Picasso, are alluded to in Fisher's pieces, reflecting a synthesis of modern abstraction with a deep engagement in historical and cultural contexts.

Following the 2024 success of LewAllen Galleries’ exhibition of her celebrated body of portraiture work, which features the psychological intensity in league with the likes of Lucian Freud and Alice Neel, the stage is set for the unveiling of Fisher’s early works. Like those acclaimed portraits, Fisher’s abstract art conveys a sense of emotional depth, however utilizing a different visual language.

This exhibition features oil paintings from her estate set aside by the artist and only now being shown to the public following her death in 2017. It will provide visitors with a rare opportunity to explore Ethel Fisher's early career, during which she carved an initial niche in the art world for her approach to abstraction and color theory. Fisher's legacy is rooted in the belief that color holds a unique psychological power, capable of evoking both atmospheric resonance and seductive transcendence. Her paintings invite sustained engagement, offering both clarity and complexity, revealing narrative layers, to those who look deeply.

At a young age, Fisher’s career was launched in Miami and Havana, marking a unique path in the art world. She quickly became a central figure in the Miami art scene, exhibiting at prominent galleries like Eddie Mirell and Lowe Gallery at the University of Miami. Her work also gained recognition in Havana, where a landmark solo exhibition at the Instituto Nacional de Cultura in 1957 solidified her as a rising star.

Fisher's artistry grew from her time at The Art Students League of New York in the late 1940s, where she studied under the mentorship of celebrated instructors like Morris Kantor, Robert Beverly Hale, and Will Barnet. It was here that Fisher's early exposure to modernist abstraction would influence her trajectory as an artist. Her early works, featured in Synthesis of Form and Color, offer a glimpse into her innovative spirit and fearless approach to abstraction that would define her career and leave an enduring mark on the art world.

Fisher's work continues to resonate, and her legacy lives on through her vast body of work, which spans abstract paintings, portraiture, architectural pieces, and more. Ethel Fisher's works are highly respected and held in the permanent collections of important museums, including, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Dallas Museum of Art, the Jewish Museum in New York, the Museum of Contemporary Art in La Jolla, CA, the Norton Museum in Palm Beach, FL, the Crocker Museum in Sacramento, CA, and the Morgan Library and Museum in New York, among others. Notably, Fisher was recognized by the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Award for Painting in 1965.