German-born American artist Josef Albers (1888–1976) is regarded as one of the foremost abstract artists and educators of the 20th century, deeply influencing both European and American modernism. His artistic practice focused intensely on color theory and perception, as famously demonstrated by his Homage to the Square series. This groundbreaking work examined the psychological and optical effects of color through compositions of simple geometric forms designed to engage viewers in unique visual experiences.

Albers was educated at the Königliche Bayerische Akademie der Bildenden Kunst and later served as a key faculty member at The Bauhaus. Following the closure of The Bauhaus, Albers and his wife, the artist Anni Albers, immigrated to the United States and joined the faculty of Black Mountain College. There, Albers developed a revolutionary teaching philosophy based on experimentation and visual “defamiliarization” to heighten sensory awareness. His pedagogical influence grew when Albers joined Yale University to establish its design program in 1950. Interaction of Color, which Yale University Press published in 1963, encapsulates the artist’s lifelong research and remains foundational in color studies today. 

His work can be seen in prominent institutions worldwide, including the Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich, Germany; Josef Albers Museum, Quadrat, Bottrop, Germany; Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebæk, Denmark; Kunstmuseum Basel, Switzerland; Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France; Gulbenkian Museum, Lisbon, Portugal; Morgan Library and Museum, New York, New York; Fundación Juan March, Madrid, Spain; Henie Onstad Art Centre, Høvikodden, Norway; Mudec, Museo delle Culture, Milan, Italy; The Museum of Modern Art, New York, New York; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, New York; and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, Italy.

Albers has exhibited with GRAY in two group exhibitions: Artists/Bennington in 1967 and Prints/New Works in 1977.