New York, September 11, 2012 \u2014 In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of the artist Gertrud Goldschmidt, widely known as Gego, Americas Society will co-present \u201cGego: Origin and Encounter, Mastering the Space\u201d with Sala Mendoza and Fundaci\u00f3n Gego. Curated by Josefina Manrique and Gabriela Rangel, the show will take place from September 29 \u2013 December 8, 2012 and is part of a series of exhibitions dedicated to Gego taking place this year in Caracas and S\u00e3o Paulo. Featuring a significant group of early works made by the artist in the coastal town of Tarmas, Venezuela the exhibition also includes pieces informed by the Reticul\u00e1rea\u2014an in-situ wire and mesh environmental structure. As one of the very few venues where a Reticul\u00e1rea was installed in 1969, Americas Society is proud to examine Gego\u2019s innovative and groundbreaking reconfiguration of the space through this outstanding artwork.<\/p>\n
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\u201cGego: Origin and Encounter, Mastering the Space\u201d gathers works on paper, photographs, documents, two and three-dimensional pieces, in addition to a rarely seen textile, which attests to the artist\u2019s journey from topic landscapes to an alternative mode of abstraction. A special section is dedicated to the documentation of the various Reticul\u00e1reas made in Caracas, New York, and Frankfurt. This area focuses on the various spatial articulations that show the process of making each version of the Reticul\u00e1rea. On display is a selection of preparatory gouache and crayon compositions, as well photographs, correspondences, and complex drawings and graphic works by Gego, including sketches of never completed reticular projects.<\/p>\n
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Born in Hamburg, Germany in 1912, Gego studied architecture and engineering at the Technische Hochschule in Stuttgart before her German citizenship was nullified in 1935. In 1939, she migrated to Venezuela where she lived and work until her death in 1994. Not long after 1957, Gego became a practicing artist and educator, creating in the subsequent years a consistent and significant body of work. Her artistic practice developed alongside Kinetic art and geometric abstraction\u2014local movements that at the time were infused with a particular blend of intense and porous debate, but which ultimately contributed to the international postwar milieu of abstraction. Nevertheless, Gego proposed an alternative mode of abstraction that led her to mastering the space.<\/p>\n
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In conjunction with \u201cGego: Origin and Encounter, Mastering the Space\u201d Americas Society will present a one-day symposium on November 9, 2012, with Columbia University\u2019s Department of Art History and Archaeology, the Institute for the Study of Latin American Art. The event will bring together a select group of art historians, cultural critics and curators to explore the historical relevance of Gego\u2019s art at the centenary of her birth.<\/p>\n
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On view from:
\nSeptember 29 – December 8, 2012
\nGeneral Public Opening:
\nSaturday, September 29
\n3:00 – 6:00 P.M.
\nOpening hours:
\nWednesday to Saturday
\n12:00 \u2013 6:00 P.M.
\nAmericas Society
\n680 Park Avenue at 68th Street
\nNY, New York 10065<\/p>\n
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Press Inquiries: Please contact Adriana La Rotta at alarotta@as-coa.org or 1-212-277-8384.<\/p>\n
\u201cGego at One Hundred Years\u201d
\nOrganized by Alexander Alberro and Gabriela Rangel with the collaboration of Monica Amor
\nColumbia University
\nSchermerhorn Building, Room # 612
\nIn conjunction with the exhibition \u201cGego: Origin and Encounter, Mastering the Space\u201d Americas Society will present a day long symposium. Thanks to the support of the Institute for the Study of Latin American Art, Columbia University\u2019s Art History and Archaeology Department is a co-sponsor.
\nThe Institute for the Study of Latin American Art, Columbia University\u2019s Art History and Archaeology Department is a co-sponsor.<\/p>\n
Join us for a guided tour with exhibition curator Gabriela Rangel.<\/p>\n
Assistant curator Christina De Le\u00f3n will lead a guided tour of \u201cGego: Origin and Encounter, Mastering the Space.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGego: Origin and Encounter, Mastering the Space\u201d is co-presented by Americas Society with Sala Mendoza and Fundaci\u00f3n Gego. The exhibition and related public programs are made possible by the generous support of Chevron, Tinker Foundation Inc., Banco Mercantil, and Pinta: The Modern and Contemporary Latin American Art Show.<\/p>\n
In-kind support is graciously provided by Columbia University, Sicardi Gallery, and Arte al D\u00eda.<\/p>\n
The Fall 2012 Visual Arts Program is also supported by Mex-Am Cultural Foundation, the Consulate General of Brazil in New York, and in part by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.<\/p>\n
Sala Mendoza acknowledges the following donors for their support of the exhibition: Pulido Mendoza Family, Fundaci\u00f3n Eugenio Mendoza, Stelac Foundation, and Clarissa Bronfman Alcock.<\/p>\n
Americas Society is the premier organization dedicated to education, debate and dialogue in the Americas. Established by David Rockefeller in 1965, our mission is to foster an understanding of the contemporary political, social and economic issues confronting Latin America, the Caribbean, and Canada, and to increase public awareness and appreciation of the diverse cultural heritage of the Americas and the importance of the inter-American relationship. Visit us at www.as-coa.org.<\/p>\n