Eugene Martin: The Creative Act

On view April 7–October 2, 2022 at the LSU Museum of Art

Eugene Martin: The Creative Act presents LSU Museum of Art’s first major exhibition of the artist’s work. It features a selection from a 2008 acquisition of 31 works and focuses on Martin’s unique brand of abstraction. Born in Washington, D.C. in 1938, Eugene Martin dedicated his life to living and working as a full-time artist, creating a body of work clearly defined by periods, from black and white ink drawings to bright and colorful acrylic paintings and collages. Throughout these styles, Martin’s hand is distinct and present. Eugene Martin’s whimsical collages and mixed media works are filled with color and expression and speak to the surrealist concept of automatism, working strictly by feel and the unconscious within. Martin straddles styles and does not answer to any outside influence. Rather, his works satisfy the impulse simply to create. In his last decade, Martin lived and worked in Lafayette, Louisiana. He achieved much regional acclaim while continuing to exhibit work across the country and abroad. His works are held in the collections of several other Louisiana institutions.