Gego: Making the Invisible Visible – A Retrospective on the German-Venezuelan Artist
Born in Hamburg to a Jewish family, Gertrud Goldschmidt, widely recognized as Gego, was a German-Venezuelan artist. She pursued architecture at the Technische Hochschule Stuttgart before escaping to Venezuela in 1939. Her artistic journey spanned four decades, starting in 1953, during which she investigated line, space, and volume, emphasizing transparency and optical effects. Gego was a pioneer of geometric abstraction and kinetic art, creating works such as 'parallel lines' and 'reticuláreas.' Her diverse portfolio included sculptures, drawings, prints, textiles, and books, with notable pieces like Chorros (1970–1974) and Esferas (1976–77) showcasing fragility. In the late 1980s, she produced Tejeduras (1988–1991) and Bichos (c. 1987–1991) using paper and reclaimed materials.
Key facts
- Gego was born Gertrud Goldschmidt in Hamburg, Germany, into a German Jewish family.
- She studied architecture and engineering at the Technische Hochschule Stuttgart.
- In 1939, fleeing Nazism, she moved to Venezuela, where she settled permanently.
- She began her artistic career in 1953, which spanned over four decades.
- In 1963 and 1966, she was invited to the Tamarind Lithography Workshop in Los Angeles.
- Her hanging sculptures synthesize the concept of a 'measured infinite,' referenced in Alfredo Silva Estrada's 1979 poem 'Variaciones sobre reticuláreas'.
- In 1969, she moved from 'parallel lines' to 'reticuláreas,' reticular structures in two and three dimensions.
- Her final series include Tejeduras (1988–1991), Bichos (c. 1987–1991), and Bichitos (1987–1989).
Entities
Artists
- Gego
- Gertrud Goldschmidt
- Alfredo Silva Estrada
- Juan Santana
- Thomas R. DuBrock
- Patricia Phelps de Cisneros
- Gertrud Goldschmid
- Gertrud Goldschmidt (Gego)
- Gertrude Goldschmidt
- Hanna Goldschmidt
- Suzanne Valadon
- Hilma af Klint
- Joan Mitchell
- Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun
- Leonora Carrington
- Jackson Pollock
- Robert Rauschenberg
- Mark Rothko
- Frank Lloyd Wright
- Maria Elena Huizi
- Josefina Manrique
- Sharon Mollerus
- Tony Coll
- David Heald
Institutions
- Technische Hochschule Stuttgart
- Tamarind Lithography Workshop
- Fundación Gego
- Museo de Bellas Artes
- MACBA
- Consorcio MACBA
- Colección Patricia Phelps de Cisneros
- masdearte
- Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
- Gego Foundation
- Artribune
- Guggenheim Museum New York
- Museum of Modern Art
- Betty Parsons Gallery
- Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
- MACBA Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona
- DailyArt Magazine
Locations
- Hamburg
- Germany
- Stuttgart
- Venezuela
- Caracas
- Tarmas
- Los Angeles
- United States
- Austin
- Bilbao
- Spain
- Europe
- Latin America
- New York
- United Kingdom
- New York City
- Barcelona
- Houston
Sources
- Masdearte —
- DailyArt Magazine —
- Artribune —
- Artribune —