Rob Colvin reviews Serge Poliakoff at Cheim & Read, New York, on view through April 30, 2016.

Colvin writes: "Why the artist fell of the map isn’t as clear as why he’s getting put back on it. Poliakoff’s ability to fracture and mend space, illuminate flat planes, and structure abstract forms into a figural unity is as instructive to contemporary painting as it is awakening to witness."