‘The soul of the art is not in my fingertips. It’s in my head, it’s in my eyes, it’s in the manipulation of these things, but it’s not in my fingertips,’ Al Held
Dear Shaded Viewers,
Al Held was a preeminent figure in the world of abstract art, a pioneering force whose artistic legacy continues to inspire generations. Born in Brooklyn in 1928, Held’s formative years were spent studying at the Art Students League of New York, followed by his service in the US Navy. Later, Held’s education at Yale University brought him into contact with the work of leading modernists like Josef Albers, whose influence would shape his artistic vision.
In the 1950s, Held’s gestural abstract paintings garnered him widespread recognition for their dynamic and expressive brushwork, their texture and boldness marking a bold new direction in abstract art. But by the early 1960s, Held had evolved his style, shifting towards the creation of hard-edged geometric abstractions, characterised by a complex interplay of shapes and colours that created an illusion of movement and depth.
Held’s interest in exploring the relationships between form, colour and space was a driving force in his art, leading him to experiment with spatial illusions that added a new dimension to his works. He believed that the formal structure of a painting was paramount, rejecting the preoccupation with process that had come to characterise much of Conceptual art. He cautioned that excessive focus on studio activities could become a trap for artists seduced by the allure of self-reflexive art.
Held’s importance as an artist is reflected in the extensive exhibition history he amassed throughout his career. His works were displayed in solo exhibitions in prominent venues like the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. His public artworks can be found in major cities across the United States, and his works feature in the collections of many prestigious institutions, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC.
Al Held’s contributions to the field of abstract art have been immense, and his influence is felt to this day. His innovative, formalist approach to painting marked a new direction in abstract art, and his legacy as one of the great painters of his generation is assured.
All the paintings at White Cube were executed in Italy between the end of the 1990s and the beginning of the 2000s, these works, often of very large format, bear witness to Held’s abstract virtuosity in the treatment of colour, the freedom of his research and the visionary dimension of his work.
White Cube
10 Avenue Matignon
Tuesday-Saturday, 11am – 7 pm
