John Wells named his first solo show “The Secret History,” after a scandalous account of the private lives of the Emperor Justinian and the Empress Theodora. Any search for a direct connection would be in vain, but the title is appropriate in the most general sense. Wells has a fondness for unofficial versions, for neglected lore, for the byways and backwaters of history, art, religion, and philosophy that is completely disarming and original.

The show consisted of some 42 small, festively colored gouaches. These included a handful of attractive abstractions, but most were variations on the theme