The Amon Carter Museum of American Art in Fort Worth has put on a major exhibit featuring the work of Louise Nevelson, a mid-century sculptor and challenger of norms.
“The World Outside: Louise Nevelson at Midcentury” will run through January 7, showcasing several distinctive pieces from this flamboyant and rebellious artist.
Born in Russian-occupied Ukraine in 1899 and raised in Maine, Nevelson was a larger-than-life media sensation on the New York art scene.
Her eclectic style and penchant for bold earrings, brooches, and other pieces even recently inspired two limited-edition necklaces showcasing wood and metal components designed by the French luxury brand Celine.
Yet while Nevelson assisted famed Mexican painter Diego Rivera from 1935 to 1939, she didn’t hit her own stride until she was nearly 60.
She first explored various mediums like sketches, etchings, and abstract sculptures. Her journey to artistic maturity also saw her experimenting with printmaking.
The new exhibit curated by Shirley Reece-Hughes features some of these earlier works, including abstract sculptures, such as the 1955 Night Landscape, and various pen-and-ink drawings.
By 1958, Nevelson had developed her signature style of monochromatic, chaotic-yet-finely-crafted shadow boxes made of wood she salvaged from the streets of New York.
This assemblage art plays with light and imbues her pieces with a sense of movement and temporality.
Wall installations like Case with Five Balusters (1959), Royal Tide I (1960), Lunar Landscape (1960), and Rain Forest Wall (1962) are dramatic large-scale pieces included in the new exhibit.
These works by Nevelson demonstrate an amalgamation of different eras and inspirations, ranging from her childhood education in modern dance to being an adult during the iconic Space Age, from pre-Colombian art to Picasso.
The meticulous designs provoke thought and mystery, much like ancient hieroglyphics, with each curved, straight, or zigzagged piece appearing to have a purposeful place.
Nevelson’s work has been shown at leading art venues, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Pace Gallery, and the Venice Biennale.
Be sure to catch “The World Outside: Louise Nevelson at Midcentury” before it moves to the Colby College Museum of Art in Waterville, Maine.
Admission is free, and guests can take in the entirety of the Amon Carter Museum’s collection of American art.