Slide 1
Broken Landscape, 1982
Dennis Dykema, Acrylic on canvas
Purchase from the artist, 44th Annual Fall Show, 1982: 982.11
Slide 2
Untitled, 1988
Ann Royer, Acrylic on canvas
Gift of the artist; 2012.25
Slide 3
The Heaven's Paintings #1, 2017
Al Harris-Fernandez, Oil over acrylic on canvas
Purchase from the artist, with funds provided by Jeff Baldus and the Heffernan Fund; 2020.14
Slide 4
Moonflowers, 1959
W. Dean Warnholtz, Oil on canvas
Purchase from the artist, 24th Annual May Show, 1961; 961.04
Slide 5
Vault, 1977
Carol P. Popham, Acrylic on canvas
Purchase from the artist, Siouxland Artists Group Competitive Show, 1977; 977.02
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It’s amazing what happens when two colors are mixed together. Combining red and white makes pink, of course. What sets pink apart from many other colors is how strongly it has been identified as a symbol throughout history. In Europe in the mid-1700s, pink was viewed as highly fashionable and was worn by both men and women. It became less popular in men’s fashion beginning in the mid-1800s, as many men began wearing exclusively dark colors. And by the mid-1900s, pink clothing and other consumer products were marketed exclusively for girls and women.

In recent years, pink has been reconsidered yet again, as society moves slowly away from gender stereotypes like pink for girls and blue for boys. What will become of pink in the future?

The Art Center has assembled a collection of non-representational paintings that include pink to varying degrees and tints. And those paintings have been installed in a space dominated by pink. So how do you respond to the color pink?