Maria Helena Vieira da Silva's Rare New York Retrospective at Di Donna Gallery
From April 22 to September 25, 2020, Di Donna Gallery in New York City hosted a retrospective of Maria Helena Vieira da Silva's artwork, marking her first exhibition at the venue since 1971. After being initially affected by lockdowns, the gallery reopened in the fall. Recognized as Portugal's most renowned modern artist, Vieira da Silva's creations merge abstract grids with figurative elements. This exhibition followed its journey from Galerie Jeanne Bucher Jaeger in Paris in 2019 to Waddington Custot Gallery in London in 2019-20. Among the highlighted works were 'Memoire' (1966-67) and 'La Ville nocturne ou les Luminières de la ville' (1950). The catalogue by Kent Mitchell Minturn reinterprets her as a late cubist, although some pieces defy this classification. Over two dozen works were showcased.
Key facts
- Maria Helena Vieira da Silva's retrospective ran from April 22 to September 25, 2020 at Di Donna Gallery in New York City.
- This was her first exhibition in New York since 1971.
- The show traveled from Paris in 2019 to London in 2019-20 before New York.
- Vieira da Silva is Portugal's most famous modern artist and a leading exemplar of Art Informel.
- Notable works included 'Memoire' (1966-67) and 'La Ville nocturne ou les Luminières de la ville' (1950).
- Kent Mitchell Minturn's catalogue essay repositions her as a late cubist.
- Her paintings blend abstract grids with figurative spaces using spectral transparency and projective geometry.
- The exhibition featured over two dozen works, with influences from artists like Wols, Alfred Manessier, and Roger Bissière.
Entities
Artists
- Maria Helena Vieira da Silva
- Gaston Bachelard
- Wols
- Alfred Manessier
- Roger Bissière
- Loren MacIver
- Norman Lewis
- Kent Mitchell Minturn
- Picasso
Institutions
- Di Donna Galleries
- Galerie Jeanne Bucher Jaeger
- Waddington Custot Gallery
- Nordrhein-Westfalen Art Museum
- artcritical
Locations
- New York City
- United States
- Paris
- France
- London
- United Kingdom
- Portugal