Allan McCollum is best known for his arrangements of small, solid black paintings surrounded by white matte and framed in wood. McCollums idea for this expression grew out of his interest in defining painting and reducing it to a few elements. This pursuit has allowed him to produce a consistent body of work that changes very little.

His "Surrogates" as these small framed paintings are called, represent a universal sign of painting; they remove the identifiable image or the art from the viewer. His original idea of creating only one painting to exhibit repeatedly was altered to accommodate the potential for the art piece to be bought and sold as a true art object. His early "Surrogates" varied slightly in material and frame color. H...