At a time when the world of sculpture was dominated by men, was not afraid to take up space. Born in 1899, Nevelson bucked the norms of her time and became known around the world for her large-scale, monochromatic wooden sculptures.
Now through January, more than 50 of her works are on display at the in an exhibition titled 鈥淭he World Outside: Louise Nevelson at Midcentury.鈥�
The show is a chance to discover Nevelson鈥檚 work, which was unique in its ability to capture the vitality of the postwar period, curator Shirley Reece-Hughes, .
鈥淲e hope the exhibition gives scholars and art lovers alike a new appreciation for the artist鈥檚 endless creativity and legacy as a forecaster for the art world,鈥� the curator of paintings, sculpture, and works on paper at the Carter said.
If you go
What: 鈥淭he World Outside: Louise Nevelson at Midcentury鈥� exhibitionWhen: Now 鈥� Jan. 7Where: Amon Carter Museum of American Art
3501 Camp Bowie Blvd.
Fort Worth, TX 76107Admission: Free
The artist was not fond of labels, according to insight from her granddaughter in the book, 鈥�.鈥�
鈥淪he said, 鈥業鈥檓 not a feminist. I鈥檓 an artist who happens to be a woman.鈥� She was always shedding all of these labels, all of these boxes,鈥� said. 鈥淪he was creating her own reality.鈥�
Regardless of what Louise Nevelson called herself, she wasn鈥檛 afraid to hold her own and carved out space for the women who came after her.
In a 1977 documentary titled 鈥�,鈥� the artist recalled being in conversation with a group of men as they discussed art.
鈥淥ne of 鈥檈m said to me, 鈥楧on鈥檛 you know Nevelson, you鈥檝e got to have balls to be a sculptor?鈥� and I said 鈥極h, well, I鈥檝e got balls,鈥� and they shut up,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o I had confidence. If they didn鈥檛 want me, they didn鈥檛 want me. I was still going to 鈥� it didn鈥檛 stop me from working.鈥�
In that same documentary she walks around her cavernous studio, cigarette in hand, retooling the placement of one object or another on her sculptures, as a crew of fabricators patiently await her adjustments.
鈥淚f you ever saw me in my heyday, say I put a wall up and there鈥檚 one line that didn鈥檛 please me, I鈥檇 take it right down and put it up again,鈥� she says over footage of her looking through materials while wearing a long coat, silk scarf on her head and her signature larger-than-life false eyelashes. 鈥淚f it鈥檇 kill me, I鈥檇 do it.鈥�
Many of her works were made from discarded pieces of wood that were later painted all one color 鈥� black, white or gold 鈥� drawing attention to the light, shadows and multitude of shapes nestled within each subsection of the large-scale works.
The exhibition spans her works from the late 1930s to early 1970s. In addition to highlighting the sculptural work she was famous for, the show also includes some early figure drawings and several prints.
Five different sections, each of which represents a distinct theme in her work, fill the gallery space.
Guests first enter into the section called 鈥淭he Choreographer,鈥� which highlights the influence of her 20 year dance practice on the artist鈥檚 drawings and sculptural work.
The space race is said to have influenced her desire to produce works that ventured into the idea of 鈥渢he beyond,鈥� a theme explored in 鈥淭he Visionary鈥� section.
鈥淭he Community Builder鈥� explores the shared spaces created in her environmental installations, and 鈥淭he Printmaker鈥� pores over works from her residency.
鈥淭he Environmentalist鈥� features work that pushes back against the postwar mass consumerism of her time.
The new scholarship presented in the exhibition is a timely reminder of the crucial role artists serve as witnesses to history; the nuanced stories still to be discovered within seemingly familiar works,鈥� Andrew J. Walker, executive director at the Carter, said in a press release. 鈥� And 鈥� as underscored by Jean Shin鈥檚 and Tara Donovan鈥檚 catalog reflections 鈥� the ways that any single voice can echo through generations to follow.鈥�
Museum-goers will have the opportunity to create their own Nevelson-inspired works at the Carter鈥檚 annual Party on the Porch on Sept. 30.
The exhibition will wrap at the Carter on Jan. 7 and will then travel to Waterville, Maine where it will be on display at the Colby College Museum of Art.
Marcheta Fornoff covers the arts for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at marcheta.fornoff@fortworthreport.org or on . At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy .