Philip Slein Gallery Dedicates Entire Space to Edward Boccia Career Survey
The exhibition features more than 30 paintings from the late artist's six decades in St. Louis, accompanied by the first major monograph on his life and work.
By Adewale Rousseau ·
Local art collectors and visitors can now view a comprehensive survey of Edward E. Boccia's career at the Philip Slein Gallery in the Central West End. The exhibition, titled Edward E. Boccia: An American Modernist, opens with a reception on October 23 from 5 to 8 p.m. and remains on view through December 19. This is the first time in the gallery's 23-year history that it has devoted its entire space to a single artist.
The gallery at 4735 McPherson typically restricts individual exhibitions to its front room. For this show, owner Philip Slein utilized all available walls to display works from Boccia's long tenure in the city. Slein described the scale of the installation, stating, "The only thing that could be bigger than this would be at an institution." The decision to expand the show reflects the depth of the archive available for this specific retrospective.
Boccia, who was born in New Jersey in 1921, spent six decades in St. Louis. He arrived in 1951 to take a position at Washington University, where he taught for more than 30 years before retiring in 1986 as professor emeritus. His background included service in the World War II Ghost Army and studies at the Pratt Institute, the Art Students League, and Columbia University. While at the Columbus Art School in Ohio prior to his move, he introduced Bauhaus principles to his students.
The exhibition displays more than 30 paintings that span his output from the 1950s until his death in 2012. The front room features large-scale pieces, including the nine-panel "Eugene's Journey" and the 2004 triptych "David's Death." A hallway section presents mythic ocean scenes, while the final room uses a salon wall to trace his stylistic evolution. The works reference influences such as Paul Cézanne, Pablo Picasso, René Magritte, and Max Beckmann.
Art historian Rosa Berland, based in New York, curated the show and authored the accompanying book, Edward E. Boccia: Painter of Nightmares and Dreams. The monograph, published by Hirmer, is the first major scholarly text on the artist and includes fold-out plates to demonstrate the scale of his multi-panel works. Berland noted that Boccia studied philosophy, theology, and psychoanalysis but preferred viewers to engage with the work directly. She referenced a pamphlet prepared for the show that advises, "Don't worry about what my art means. Just experience it."
Berland credited Morton D. May as Boccia's greatest patron, noting that May's collection was partially gifted to the Saint Louis Art Museum. She described Boccia's trajectory as a New York native who found professional success in the Midwest. "This is really a story of a kid from New York who found success in St. Louis," she said. She added that the work requires active engagement, comparing the viewing experience to reading a poem or philosophical text.
The gallery remains open during regular business hours for the duration of the exhibition. The companion book is available for purchase at the venue. The installation includes both small seaside scenes and monumental multi-panel works, offering a complete view of his experimental style that blended classical traditions with surreal symbolism.
Source: St. Louis Magazine
