Russian-born artist Jules Olitski was at the forefront of Color Field painting, an abstractionist movement of the 1960s and '70s. His large-scale abstract paintings feature fields of solid color with little depth or perspective, created by pouring, spraying, and sponging paints and dyes onto the canvas. His monochrome aluminum sculptures reflect an aesthetic similar to his paintings, and he continued to experiment with color fields and abstraction long after the style fell out of vogue.

Over his long career, Olitski held more than 150 solo exhibitions worldwide, and in 1969, he became the third living person to ever have a solo exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He is considered by many to be an important contributor to American Abstraction and a precursor to Minimalism.