About Space
Al Held
WHITE CUBE
144 – 152 Bermondsey Street London SE1 3TQ
+44 (0) 207 930 5373 e-mail:
OVERVIEW :
White Cube Bermondsey opened in 2012 and is Europe’s largest commercial gallery space incorporating more than 5440m² of interior space. The building, which dates from the 1970s, was renovated and designed by architects Casper Mueller Kneer. The location on Bermondsey Street in South London is identifiable by its large open courtyard, while the gallery itself features three expansive exhibition spaces including South Gallery II which spans 778m² and the double-height naturally-lit gallery, 9x9x9. The building also houses an auditorium, a bookshop, private viewing rooms and offices and a warehouse.
gallery's Multiple Locations :London (2), New York, Hong Kong, Paris, Seoul
27 June > 1 September, 2024
Al Held, Roberta’s Trip II (detail), 1986 © Al Held Foundation, Inc. Photo © White Cube (Theo Christelis).
![]( "click to enlarge- double click to reduce")
![]( "click to enlarge- double click to reduce")
ABOUT EXHIBITION : About Space
Opening in June at White Cube Bermondsey, ‘Al Held: About Space’ surveys the trailblazing practice of American painter Al Held (1928–2005). With roots in Abstract Expressionism, Held sought and realised novel modes of form, space and colour, navigating spatial complexity through a combination of hard-edged geometry and spontaneous gestural expression. This exhibition unveils masterworks from seminal series spanning the artist’s career – from the vibrant expanses of his ‘Taxi Cab’ paintings (1959–60) to the hyper-real spaces of the ‘Luminous Constructs’ (1985–2005). ‘Al Held: About Space’ marks the first exhibition in Europe of the artist’s late paintings, and includes works that have never before been exhibited.
ABOUT ARTISTS : Al Held
Al Held was one of the most ambitious American painters of the 20th century. Primarily known as a pioneer of hard-edge abstraction, Held (1928–2005) continuously evolved his abstract painting towards greater complexity in order to formulate unseen truths. Born in Brooklyn in 1928, Held studied at the Art Students League in New York, aspiring to paint social realist murals. While working in Paris from 1951–53, he began to identify as a second generation Abstract Expressionist. Throughout the 1950s he painted heavily impastoed canvases, determined to give structure to gesture. By the end of the decade Held began using acrylic paint for geometric shapes, giving his paintings a hard-edged clarity. The resulting series, most famously the Alphabet paintings of the 1960s, established his signature style of monumental specificity.
Al Held
ABOUT EXHIBITION : About Space
Opening in June at White Cube Bermondsey, ‘Al Held: About Space’ surveys the trailblazing practice of American painter Al Held (1928–2005). With roots in Abstract Expressionism, Held sought and realised novel modes of form, space and colour, navigating spatial complexity through a combination of hard-edged geometry and spontaneous gestural expression. This exhibition unveils masterworks from seminal series spanning the artist’s career – from the vibrant expanses of his ‘Taxi Cab’ paintings (1959–60) to the hyper-real spaces of the ‘Luminous Constructs’ (1985–2005). ‘Al Held: About Space’ marks the first exhibition in Europe of the artist’s late paintings, and includes works that have never before been exhibited.
ABOUT ARTISTS : Al Held
Al Held was one of the most ambitious American painters of the 20th century. Primarily known as a pioneer of hard-edge abstraction, Held (1928–2005) continuously evolved his abstract painting towards greater complexity in order to formulate unseen truths. Born in Brooklyn in 1928, Held studied at the Art Students League in New York, aspiring to paint social realist murals. While working in Paris from 1951–53, he began to identify as a second generation Abstract Expressionist. Throughout the 1950s he painted heavily impastoed canvases, determined to give structure to gesture. By the end of the decade Held began using acrylic paint for geometric shapes, giving his paintings a hard-edged clarity. The resulting series, most famously the Alphabet paintings of the 1960s, established his signature style of monumental specificity.
Al Held 
Artist's site : https://www.alheldfoundation.org/
Artist's mail :
Artist's CITY :CATSKILLS NY
Artist's COUNTRY :U.S.A.
Gallery Opening Hours : Tuesday - Saturday 10am - 6pm Sunday 12pm - 6pm
Opening reception :Wednesday 26 June 2024, 6–8pm
Sponsored by : :Cocktails and snacks by José Pizarro will be served in the White Cube Bermondsey courtyard.
mpefm UNITED KINGDOM art press release
QR of this press release
in your smartphone, tablet
