Untitled, n.d.
8 7/8 × 12 inches
Ballpoint pen on paper
Collection of Wayne State University, Detroit
Gift of James Pearson Duffy, 2008
Gordon Newton (1948–2019) was a seminal figure in the Cass Corridor art movement, widely recognized as Detroit's first avant-garde. He received training at Port Huron Community College, the Society of Arts and Crafts (now known as the College for Creative Studies), and Wayne State University. Newton's career gained momentum in 1971 when his work was featured in the inaugural exhibition at the Willis Gallery, an artist-run cooperative in the heart of the Cass Corridor and the “Kick Out the Jams” exhibition at the Detroit Institute of Arts. Over the years, his work received national recognition, with exhibitions at prestigious institutions such as the Guggenheim Museum, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Detroit Institute of Arts, and the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit.