In my view, non-objective and abstract art have a special role in describing non-Newtonian reality—a reality in which our five senses are of little use.
This summer, White Cube will devote its entire Bermondsey London gallery to Held for a major presentation of 27 paintings and a dozen watercolors. Slated to open in late June, the exhibition focuses on work from 1980 to 2005, supported by select masterworks that chart his stylistic evolution from the 1950s to the '70s. The most significant exhibition of Held’s work in Europe in decades, it will premiere seven never-before-seen paintings, including the monumental Eagle Rock IV (2004). Measuring a stunning 15 feet wide and 30 tall, this incredibly complex work is among the last completed in Held's lifetime. Additionally, 15 of the paintings on view will debut in Europe for the first time. Following up from the focused Al Held: The Sixties at Bermondsey in 2020, the upcoming exhibition affirms Held’s achievements as a modern master of abstract speculative painting.
Al Held spent a transformative two years in Paris in the early 1950s. And he was not alone. Hundreds of American artists—many of them veterans like Held travelling on the GI Bill—studied and lived in a thriving postwar scene, experimenting with new forms and materials while rubbing elbows with Léger and Picasso. This story is the subject of the engrossing exhibition Americans in Paris: Artists Working in Postwar France, 1946–1962 at New York University’s Grey Art Museum (formerly Gallery). Curated by scholar Debra Bricker Balken and director Lynn Gumpert, the exhibition and catalogue provide in-depth information and generous selections of works. The Al Held Foundation lent three works that Al created towards the end of his time in Paris, completing his evolution from social realist to abstract expressionist. Executive director Daniel Belasco will discuss Held and his role in the American cooperative Galerie Huit on May 8 at the Grey, please register here. The exhibition is on view through July 20, then travels to the Addison Gallery of American Art in September and NYU Abu Dhabi in February 2025.
The Foundation is eagerly anticipating the start of our fifth year of on-site exhibitions, performances, and artist talks in partnership with River Valley Arts Collective. The season begins on April 13 with a solo presentation of felted wool wall-hangings by Hungarian-born artist Brigitta Váradi titled A cloak of red, slow as a Carpathian rock. Curated by Marisa Espe, the exhibition is anchored by two wall installations that showcase the artist’s unique felting technique—a physically demanding and time-intensive process. Registration for April tours is now open, please RSVP now to reserve your space. Dates in May and June will be released soon.