A member of the American Abstract Artists group, Dwinell Grant created new means of visual expression based on balance and rhythm and an interest in Gestalt psychology. His first solo show was held at the Dayton Art Institute in 1938, and his avant-garde ideas gained the support of Hillay Rebay at the Guggenheim Foundation, where he also exhibited around that time. In the late 1930s Grant began experimenting with film including the silent animated production Contrathemis (1941) which is based on over four thousand non-objective drawings. He is regarded as a pioneer in the field of art film and his innovative approach left a lasting influence on decades of experimental filmmakers.