Beyond Form: Lines of Abstraction, 1950-1970
This spring, Turner Contemporary presents Beyond Form: Lines of Abstraction, 1950-1970, a group exhibition presenting abstraction as a radical global language shared by women artists in the twenty years following World War II. Guest curated by Dr Flavia Frigeri, the exhibition brings together the works of more than 50 artists to examine how, through abstract forms, materials and modes, women pushed the boundaries of artmaking while tackling seismic cultural, social and political shifts. Comprising over 80 artworks, predominantly sculpture, the exhibition traces how the language of abstraction developed on a global scale.
Image: Ida Barbarigo, Construction (la ville), 1995, oil on canvas, 46 x 65 cm. Axel Vervoodt, Estate of the Artist and Axel Vervoodt Gallery. Photo by Axel Vervoodt Gallery. Copyright of ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2023. Image above: Sue Fuller, String Composition, #82, 1957, Thread on Silk, 123 x 93cm, Courtesy of Luxembourg + Co. Copyright of Estate of Sue Fuller. Photo by Joseph Jagos.
The exhibition includes sculptures by Mária Bartuszová, Louise Bourgeois, Eva Hesse and Hannah Wilke. It highlights Marisa Merz’s Living Sculpture (1966), a piece realised within the intimate confines of a domestic space before the artist had a studio. It also explores Carla Accardi and Marta Pan’s innovative use of modern materials to redefine space and perception. The fibre art of Maria Teresa Chojnacka and Ewa Pachucka is also featured, symbolising resistance and liberation from state censorship or monitoring. Complementing the sculptural focus of the exhibition are select paintings and reliefs, such as Carmen Herrera’s East (1965) and Agnes Martin’s Morning (1965), enriching the understanding of this artistic period.
Image: Nelly Sethna, Untitled, c.1970, Fabric and wood, 248 x 48 x 4cm (Variable), Courtesy of Tia Collection, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA. Image courtesy of Sotheby's, Inc.
Featuring: Carla Accardi; Novera Ahmed; Ruth Asawa; Maria Bartuszová; Lynda Benglis; Louise Bourgeois; Maria Theresa Chojnacka; Lygia Clark; Saloua Raouda Choucair; Sue Fuller; Eva Hesse; Marisa Merz; Yuko Nasaka; Louise Nevelson; Mona Saudi; Lenore Tawney; Hedda Sterne; Hannah Wilke, and more.
Together, the works included in Beyond Form map a constellation that speaks to the global, collective language of abstraction that transcends geographical and cultural boundaries through the universal medium of sculpture.
Image: Hubaba Farah, Sem Título (Untitled), 1972, Oil on canvas, 190 x 130cm, Courtesy Gomide&Co and Galerie MaPa. Photo by Eduoard Fraipont.
Beyond Form is guest curated by Dr Flavia Frigeri, art historian and ‘Chanel Curator for the Collection’ at the National Portrait Gallery, London. At Turner Contemporary the exhibition is realised with Sarah Martin, Head of Exhibitions.
Beyond Form: Lines of Abstraction, 1950-1970 is on at Turner Contemporary until 6 May 2024. 
Image: Lenore Tawney At Work in Studio, New York, USA. Nina Leen/The LIFE Picture Collection/Shuttershock.
Find out more and plan your visit:
turnercontemporary.org