Abstraction - Creation: Geometric Abstract Art from Europe to South America, 1945-1970

About

Austin/Desmond Fine Art, London in association with Arevalo Arte, Miami is delighted to present Abstraction-Creation, an exhibition uniting over forty abstract artists from South America and Europe. The market for both European Zero artists and Latin American art has seen an extraordinary leap forward of late. As recently as this year, auction houses have seen prices for Zero artists soar, the sale of works from the Lenz Collection included in Sotheby's February Contemporary Sale confirms this. The inauguration of Latin America's most prestigious art fair, Pinta, in London for the first time in June 2010 is also a reminder of the new widespread interest and appreciation of Latin American art. Abstraction-Creation refers to the European abstract art movement of the same name founded by Theo Van Doesburg in Switzerland in 1931. Although many of the artists in this exhibition move away from Van Doesburg's rigid notion of geometric abstraction, they all champion a purely non-representational abstract art and begin with the idea that abstract art is the search for the absolute and the struggle for pure meaning. Artists from Latin America interpreted European Concretism in subtle and different ways, often pushing its boundaries and playing with extending forms into three dimensional space. The dialogue between two cultures - what was happening in Europe and the Americas has been rarely looked at and is something Abraction-Creation seeks to explore. Abstraction-Creation brings together works by early European modern masters such as Max Bill and Joseph Albers and Zero artists Heinz Mack and Jan Schoonhoven, along with later proponents of Concretism in South America including, the lesser know figures, Judith Lauand, Lothar Charoux and Geraldo de Barros. The show will also display early works by British Constructivist artists such as Anthony Hill and Mary Martin who share similar ideals. Although geographically and historically disparate, all of the artists looked to geometric abstraction as a new mode of expression. A variety of works, ranging from three dimensional sculptures, to paintings, photography, collage, works on paper and journals will be on display. Abstraction-Creation represents the first in a series of exhibitions and collaborations for Austin/Desmond Fine Art, which seeks to find new perspectives on exchanges between European and Latin American Art. A fully illustrated catalogue will be available