Tony Conrad: Recent Paintings

Recent Paintings gathers new work by Tony Conrad at Addendum, a gallery in the Bay View neighborhood of Milwaukee. A mix of large canvases and smaller steel panels fills the space with colorful linear compositions. Drawing on Persian textiles, Zen Buddhism, and jazz, Conrad works with balance and symmetry to create reflective, meditative paintings in which colorful lines and shapes cross and overlap. The intricate, interwoven structures can read as illusive and hypnotic. Co-director and curator Tanner MacArthur noted that the paintings take time to figure out, because the more you look the more the depth and colors play tricks on the eye. Conrad also leans on color theory, letting bright hues bounce off one another in what MacArthur described as a harmony of shape and color, with some backgrounds left more textured or unfinished. The show opened June 19, 2026, in a joint Friday-night reception with a companion exhibition at sister gallery No Instructions next door. Both run for about six weeks. Addendum is free to the public, with regular hours from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays.