It’s not just color that sets Richard Diebenkorn’s New Mexico works apart from the rest of his oeuvre, though their hues could come from nowhere else. Diebenkorn, a Californian who first dabbled in figure painting, landscapes, and geometric abstract shapes, moved to Albuquerque for artistic inspiration and a master’s degree in 1950, when he was 28. The two-and-a-half years he spent there ushered in his period of abstract expressionism and changed his palette to desert tan, sunset red, cactus green, and Navajo turquoise. The influence of Clyfford Still is apparent, as is the artist’s time spent as a cartographer for the military—many of the paintings are intended to be aerial views, with jagged brushstrokes as their dusty patches of desert. One gem in the exhibit is a rare untitled sculpture, thought to be one of only two by the artist existing. “DIEBENKORN IN NEW MEXICO” IS ON VIEW FROM 10 A.M. TO 5 P.M. TUESDAY-SATURDAY, 10 A.M. TO 8:30 P.M. THURSDAY, AND 11 A.M. TO 6 P.M. SUNDAY, TO Sunday, SEPT. 7 AT THE PHILLIPS COLLECTION, 1600 21ST ST. NW. $12. (202) 387-2436.