December 21, 2013–April 21, 2014
Special Exhibitions Gallery, third floor
During a career spanning half a century, Ileana Sonnabend (1914–2007) helped shape the course of postwar art in Europe and North America. Both a gallerist and a noted collector, Sonnabend discovered and championed some of the most significant artists of her time. Among the many important works that Sonnabend owned is Robert Rauschenberg’s Combine painting Canyon (1959), which the Sonnabend family generously donated to The Museum of Modern Art in 2012. In celebration of this extraordinary gift, Ileana Sonnabend: Ambassador for the New explores Sonnabend’s legendary eye through selected works of art that she presented in her eponymous galleries in Paris and New York.
Andy Warhol (United States, 1928–1987). Ileana Sonnabend. 1973. Acrylic and silkscreen on canvas, two panels. 40 x 80″ (101.6 x 203.2 cm). Sonnabend Collection, New York. © 2013 Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Renowned for her ambassadorial role in bringing new art across the Atlantic, Sonnabend was instrumental in introducing American Pop art and Minimalism to Europe and Italian Arte Povera to the United States. Sonnabend also sought out and supported some of the most noncommercial and challenging Conceptual, new-media, and performance-based art of the 1970s. The exhibition includes works by approximately 30 artists, including Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, Andy Warhol, Robert Morris, Mario Merz, Vito Acconci, Mel Bochner, John Baldessari, and Jeff Koons. Ileana Sonnabend: Ambassador for the New reveals the astounding scope of Sonnabend’s taste and salutes her commitment to introducing groundbreaking art to the public.
Mario Merz (Italy, 1925–2003). Igloo Fibonacci. 1970. Copper, aluminum, and marble. 72 x 96 x 96″ (182.9 x 243.8 x 243.8 cm). Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg. Photo: Helge Mundt. © 2013 Fondazione Merz, Turin / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Roy Lichtenstein (United States, 1923–1997). Little Aloha. 1962. Acrylic on canvas. 44 1/16 x 42 1/8″ (111.9 x 107 cm). Sonnabend Collection, New York. © Estate of Roy Lichtenstein
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