Photos:: Sneak Peek: Inside the mega new Hauser Wirth & Schimmel gallery in downtown L.A.
The new Hauser Wirth & Schimmel gallery in downtown Los Angeles will have a gand opening on March 13. Above, the South Gallery, with pieces by Louise Bourgeois and Ruth Asawa.
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In a few days, Hauser Wirth & Schimmel, L.A.’s newest art space, will be throwing its doors open to the public. On Thursday, I had the good fortune to attend the press preview, which was rife with sculpture, feminist theory and avocado toasts.
The exhibition is beguiling — a survey of sculpture by women from the post-World War II era to the present, curated by gallery partner Paul Schimmel and UC Santa Barbara scholar Jenni Sorkin. It features key works by vital 20th century figures such as Louise Bourgeois, who is represented by sculptures from some of her earliest one-woman shows in New York in the early 1950s.
A preview of the Hauser Wirth & Schimmel gallery in a revamped 19th century flour mill in downtown Los Angeles. It’s set to open to the public on March 13 with its inaugural show “Revolution in the Making: Abstract Sculpture by Women, 1947-2016.”
There are other gems too: An ethereal piece made out of gold threads by Lygia Pape that seems to vanish as you approach, and a pair of sculptures by Eva Hesse that hadn’t been seen together since they were first shown at a gallery in New York in the 1960s. (For a thorough overview of the show, see the review by Times critic Christopher Knight.)
But no preview is just about the art — and in the case of Hauser Wirth & Schimmel, a good part of the appeal was the site: a suite of meticulously spruced-up industrial buildings and a sunny courtyard that, even at the press preview, was the place to see and be seen.
I imagine that once the new, on-site locally sourced, seasonal-everything restaurant opens this summer, the place is gonna be rife with blowouts and air-kissing.
In other words, the scene here is the bluest of blue chip. Thankfully for us scrubs, the art part will be gloriously free.
Here’s my photo tour of the press preview:
The morning began in the South Gallery at Hauser Wirth & Schimmel, with remarks from founder Iwan Wirth, who noted the presence of a number of California artists on the gallery’s roster. The orange tote bags kept members of the press readily identifiable.
The first gallery contained numerous works by California sculptor Ruth Asawa, who often wove one piece inside another and another. An incredible level of craft and a highlight of the show.
The exhibition features half a dozen sculptures by the inimitable Lee Bontecou -- all of which are a wonder to examine for their ferocity. Included was a rare 1966 wall sculpture from the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago that is illuminated from within.
Reporters chatter before a scupture by Claire Falkenstein, a longtime California artist who created her own solar system out of copper and wire. “They’re beautiful in a primal sort of way,” says exhibition curator Paul Schimmel of the works.
A research lab behind the South Gallery features documents, photographs and other ephemera tied to artist Louise Bourgeois — including this vintage copy of Artforum featuring the artist’s work on the cover.
The trip from one gallery to the next required crossing the outdoor courtyard, where these adorable avocado toasts were being served. I missed the toasts because I was taking pictures. Thankfully this means I also missed the sight of journalists eating.
In the courtyard was this striking sculpture by Jackie Winsor titled “30 to 1 Bound Trees,” originally made in the early 1970s and re-created for the purpose of the exhibition.
The exhibition contained works well-known and rare — including this pair of latex sculptures by Eva Hesse, which had not been together since they were first shown at the Leo Castelli gallery in New York in 1968.
I particularly enjoyed these cedar sculptures by New York-based artist Ursula von Rydingsvard, “Untitled (Nine Cones),” from 1976. The pieces were first installed on landfill in lower Manhattan in 1977.
A pair of sculptures by Lynda Benglis: left, “Eat Meat,” 1969-75, and “Wing,” 1970, which are fabricated out of aluminum.
An unfinished warehouse space contained sculptures by contemporary artists, including Dutch-American sculptor Lara Schnitger. In the foreground is “Notorious Five,” from 2016.
The breezeway connecting 2nd and 3rd streets features “Forgiving Strands,” an installation by Shinique Smith. The breezeway will be open to the public once the gallery opens, but because it’s privately operated, I’m curious to see what happens the moment the first homeless person tries to traverse it.
“Revolution in the Making: Abstract Sculpture by Women, 1947-2016,” goes on view Sunday and runs through Sept. 4 at Hauser Wirth & Schimmel. 901 E. Third St., downtown Los Angeles, hauserwirthschimmel.com.
Find me on Twitter @cmonstah.
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