Louis Thayer Hills was a prolific Wisconsin artist who spent more than six decades creating purely abstract paintings and prints — compositions drawn entirely from his own imagination rather than the world around him. His style evolved dramatically over the decades, moving from the dark, brooding tones of his early oils to the bold, explosive color and energy of his later acrylics. Working from his home in southeastern Wisconsin with his wife Kay, Hills left behind a singular and deeply personal body of abstract work.
Thank You, Milwaukee On June 5th and 6th, 2026, Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts opened its doors for a memorial exhibition celebrating the life and six-decade career of Louis Thayer Hills. Family, friends, longtime collectors, and first-time admirers gathered to view his work — and many took a piece of his legacy home with them.
A short film exploring Louis Thayer Hills' six decades of work and the singular imagination behind his abstract vision.
The collection encompasses decades of abstract work across a broad range of media, styles, and scales. From hundreds of pages of ink and marker in spiral-bound notebooks, to oversize acrylic paintings 4' x 5', to stacks and stacks of etchings/woodcuts and prints on paper, the offerings range from intimate sketch studies to huge statement pieces.
2011–2013
Works on paper, including etchings from 1979-1980, and hand-pulled prints spanning earlier decades. Click to see larger and scroll through all.
Compact studies and smaller-format paintings — easier to display, just as striking. Click to see larger and scroll through all.
Pages pulled from Lou's hundreds of spiral-bound notebooks, filled with ink and marker studies from across his career. Sizes vary, from 5"x7" to 12"x16". Click to see larger and scroll through all.
The largest statement pieces in the collection — bold masonite abstracts at 48 inches and up.
Prints, paintings, and drawings from the 1950s and '60s — the earliest works in the collection.
