Beyond Mysticism: The Modern Northwest

In the early twentieth century, the Puget Sound region was home to a progressive artistic and cultural scene shaped by the region’s rapid urbanization, its singular natural environment, and its orientation to the Pacific Rim. This generative milieu was fertile ground for four well-known Modernist artists—Guy Anderson, Kenneth Callahan, Morris Graves, and Mark Tobey—known as “mystics” for their shared admiration of the Pacific Northwest landscape and perceived alignment with Asian and Northwest Coast Native cultures.

Beyond Mysticism: The Modern Northwest situates these artists within the broader history of Modern art in the Pacific Northwest through an exploration of key themes: industrialization, ecocriticism, Surrealism, and Abstract Expressionism. This exhibition catalog retells the fascinating story of Northwestern Modernism to reveal the range, complexity, and significance of local Modernists—including Fay Chong, William Cumming, Z. Vanessa Helder, Kenjiro Nomura, Albert Smith Sr., Kamekichi Tokita, Julius Twohy, and James Washington Jr.—within the context of American Modernism.

Author Theresa Papanikolas is the Ann M. Barwick Curator of American Art for the Seattle Art Museum. A specialist in American and European modernism, she has published widely on Dada and Surrealism.

Publisher:  University of Washington Press (February 2026)

Hardcover:  223 pages, 185 color illustrations

ISBN:  9780295754840

Dimensions:  9.75 x 1 x 10.75 inches