The Butler Institute of American Art has opened an exhibition of abstract paintings by Chuck Olson, "Paintings from 2010-2024."

The exhibition, which runs through May 18, 2025, features Olson's large-scale works from the past 14 years. 

Olson, who received his master's degree in painting from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1976, taught fine art at Saint Francis University in Loretto, Pennsylvania, until 2019. During his tenure, he also directed an arts and language program in Parma, Italy, for 12 years.

In an essay accompanying the exhibition, Dr. Vicky A. Clark describes Olson's process as "a protocol of trial and error, a course of action and reaction." She notes that while Olson's paintings are non-representational, they often contain traces of objects and memories from the real world.

Dr. Louis Zona, the Butler's executive director, said Olson's work "presents abstraction in an entirely new light," blending elements of European expressionism and the New York School.

The exhibition is displayed in the Finnegan/Hynes & Davis Galleries.

A hardcover book, "CHUCK OLSON: PAINTINGS 2010-2024," featuring more than 140 plates of Olson's work, will be available for purchase at the museum store. The 204-page book also includes an essay by Clark and a foreword by Zona. The book costs $70, plus sales tax and shipping.

The Butler Institute of American Art is located at 524 Wick Ave, Youngstown.