LYNDA BENGLIS

Although Benglis is most commonly associated with her groundbreaking pours—paintings consisting of pigmented latex poured directly onto the floor—that radically confronted the male-dominated art world of the 1960s, she has continued to develop a diverse body of multi-media work that challenges our visceral senses. Benglis’s affinity for unorthodox materials, and her fascination with forms, inspires her to revisit and expand the material possibilities of some of her earlier pieces, while simultaneously producing new works that redefine the dialogue around sculpture. Like a number of contemporary artists represented by Pace, such as Robert Irwin, James Turrell, and Mary Corse, who are pushing the limits of their pioneering work, Benglis’s recent work continues to build upon her genre-bending legacy.

Highlights from the exhibition include seminal works such as Eat Meat (1969/1975)—an early poured foam work which Benglis later cast in aluminum. Another central piece is Swinburne Figure I (2009), which responds to the classical torso works which Benglis made in the 70s extending the sculpture beyond the wall, and evoking the Caryatids of the Erechtheion on the Acropolis. Grounding the exhibition is one of Benglis’s most recent works Elephant: First Foot Forward (2018), a large-scale bronze sculpture based on a series of recent ceramics that push the traditional scale of the medium and its material possibilites. There are also a number of sculptural works in paper, such as Georgia on My Mind (2018), which is comprised of glitter cast in handmade paper over a chicken wire armature.

In addition to her exhibition at Pace, this fall Benglis will be the subject of several projects, exhibitions, and events in the U.S. and abroad. On October 15, Benglis is being honored at Storm King Art Center’s Annual Gala in New York for her innovative contributions to the medium of sculpture. Opening in November, the museum of Cycladic Art in Athens, Greece will present a major exhibition of her work curated by Dr. David Anfam. Looking ahead to 2020, the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas will present a solo exhibition of her work. Also in 2020, a monograph published by Phaidon is scheduled for release.