'Revolution' Celebrates 70 Years of Abstract Sculptures by Women

Revolution in the Making: Abstract Sculpture by Women, 1947-2016 is a celebration of seven decades of female sculptors from around the world. The exhibition, which inaugurates Hauser Wirth & Schimmel's new location in Los Angeles’ Arts District, will display 100 pieces from 34 different artists. As the show’s press release explains, “The exhibition examines how elements that are central to art today […] were propelled by the work of women who, in seeking new means to express their own voices, dramatically expanded the definition of sculpture.”

Revolution in the Making was co-curated by Paul Schimmel—partner and vice president at Hauser & Wirth—and Jenni Sorkin, an art history professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara. The collaborating duo has organized the show chronologically, beginning with the haunting work of post-war era artists (from Ruth Asawa to Louise Nevelson) and ending with the generally more flamboyant colors of contemporary sculptors (from Phyllida Barlow to Kaari Upson) which were commissioned specifically for the show. In between, we see the Post-Minimalist methods of sculptors such as Yayoi Kusama, and Post-Modernist statements from Ursula von Rydingsvard.

As is implied by its title, this chronologically sweeping show particularly highlights revolutionary moments of cohesion between art and women’s movements. Overall, the show concerns itself with the subject of the “autonomous” artist in her studio as an image of “materiality, expressiveness, and tactility.” A more explicit example of this is in the section on pieces produced during the 1960s and 70s. Here, we see an investigation of the close relationship of Post-Minimalism and feminism and how this shaped the sculptors and sculptures to come.

Below, get a glimpse into the Revolution in the Making, coming soon to Hauser Wirth & Schimmel.

Or, come see the Revolution for yourself at Hauser Wirth & Shimmel from March 13 to September 4, 2016. Find out more about the show here.

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