Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Elles...

I sure to wish I could see this exhibit which opens this weekend...

 Elles: Women Artists from the Centre Pompidou, Paris , October 11, 2012–January 13, 2013, at the SEATTLE Art Museum.

Elles: Pompidou is a landmark exhibition of more than 130 works of art made by 75 women artists from 1907 to 2007. Organized by the Centre Pompidou in Paris, home to the Musée National d’Art Moderne... This ambitious survey of daring painting, sculpture, drawing, photography, video, and installation by innovative women artists offers a fresh perspective on a history of modern and contemporary art. With vision, humor, sensuality and ambiguity, these women represent the major movements in modern art—from abstraction to contemporary concerns, including identity politics.

Artists include Sonia Delaunay, Frida Kahlo, Dora Maar, Diane Arbus, Marina Abramović, Louise Bourgeois, Atsuko Tanaka, Cindy Sherman, Sophie Calle, Hannah Wilke, Nan Goldin and Tania Bruguera, among others. An exhilarating exhibition that has already become a milestone in the history of exhibitions, Elles: Pompidou will excite the casual viewer as much as the hardboiled expert.

                       –Marisa C. Sánchez, Associate Curator, Modern & Contemporary Art

I mean look at that short list, so many of the artists that profoundly affected and inspired me as an artist, and to think I was just in Seattle a mere month ago, ergh.

 Prédelle [Rainbow Elbow] (2007) by Agnès Thurnauer via here.

Refreshingly this is not a political show per se, I appreciate all the "post-feminist" exhibits that occurred about 5 years ago but this shows main note is "by women."  Of course amongst them are major political and feminist players but also amongst them are artists such as Agnes Martin and Elizabeth Murray who's political agenda only went as far as saying yes I am a woman but I am a painter too.  I find the selection of artists refreshing and much more inclusive of quieter artists then most large scale "women artists" shows are.   But of course all the "to be expected" artists are on the roster too.

Hopefully once the show opens there will be more images on line of the exhibition. But you can see a list of all the artists with links here as well as plenty of more info on the exhibit.

and a pretty thorough review of the original install in Paris.

3 comments:

Natalya Khorover Aikens said...

Oh I wish I could see this too!

Joetta M. said...

I know. I am hoping it travels more or something.

dawn said...

I had a chance to see part of it a week ago. It is an amazing show and I'll definitely be back to see more of it, and I'll be taking my daughter with me. The museum is also hosting ells:SAM, featuring their own collection of art by women (which I didn't have a chance to see). Here's my review... http://dawnrogal.com/2012/10/21/women-take-over/