In 1938, just as Europe was heading inexorably into catastrophe, a band of artists in New Mexico formed the Transcendental Painting Group. They wished to paint from the imagination, and their subject was not literal but metaphysical—a realm of spirits and floating forces. Late Mondrian and Kandinsky had paved the way, and Hilma af Klint was already painting in a transcendental mode, though she believed she was receiving messages from the beyond, whereas the TPG artists composed their own visions. Theosophy, the occult, and the work of Nicholas Roerich also influenced this astral convergence. The group was small, around 10 members, and was cut short by W.W. II. This exhibition, which will tour, is the first devoted to the group. Look for Agnes Pelton, Raymond Jonson, Emil Bisttram, Florence Miller Pierce, and more. —Laura Jacobs