The American painter Morris Louis (Bernstein; 1912-1962) explored new realms of pictorial space with his series the Veils, the Unfurleds, and the Stripes. By exploiting the anonymous "stain" method, he formed a bridge between the Abstract Expressionists of the 1950s and the Minimalists of the 1960s.

Morris Louis Bernstein was born in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1912. Unlike the more practical trades chosen by his three brothers, he applied for and won a four-year scholarship to the Maryland Institute of Fine and Applied Arts at the early age of 15. Although described by his friends as a loner, Louis was active in the local art community. In 1934 he participated in the creation of a mural in Baltimore entitled The History of the Written Word for the federal Public Works of Art Project and, in 1935, was elected president of the Baltimore Artists' Union.

The following year Louis moved to New York City...