KANDINSKY AT THE GUGGENHEIM
The Brilliant Sheer Momentum of Around The Circle
Last month, the exhibition Vasily Kandinsky: Around the Circle opened at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York. This incredible show examines the career and works of the legendary Abstract painter in reverse chronological order. It can be viewed until September 5, 2022.
When thinking about New York’s Guggenheim Museum, most of us can picture its signature spiral ramp, which is the setting for this exhibit. Beginning with his late-life paintings at the bottom of the ramp, the show travels up, ending with some of his earlier pieces. Kandinsky’s career and relationship with Abstraction was not a fixed path but rather a “circular passage traversing persistent themes centered around the pursuit of one dominant ideal: the impulse for the spiritual expression,” as the museum puts it. What better way to show this than by displaying his works along the famous ramp?
Vasily Kandinsky was born in Moscow in 1866 and died in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, in 1944. He is remembered as one of the most innovative artists and is responsible for some of the most significant works ever created. His style and practice evolved and changed throughout his life. It was affected by where he was living and which other artists surrounded him. “Vasily Kandinsky: Around the Circle portrays how, in seeking to free art from its ties to nature and representation, Kandinsky remained committed to exploring a subject matter based on what he called the artist’s “inner necessity.” These pieces are drawn from the museum’s incredible collection by Kandinsky. It also includes some eighty paintings, watercolors, and woodcuts created at different points in his life, from his earlier years in Russia and Germany to his exile in France at the end of his life. Some of his illustrated books are also included. The first works visitors encounter at the show’s beginning were from his final chapter in France. The biomorphic art he produced, during this time, was inspired by nature, Surrealism, and Russian and Siberian culture. Following these works, there are pieces from the Bauhaus period. They show the rebirth of his abstract style. And the last section is dedicated to his earliest works, most of which he produced while living in Munich.
Kandinsky was given his first solo show in New York City in 1923 at the Société Anonyme, and almost a century later he has as big a presence. Apart from this show, a series of solo exhibitions can be viewed on the lower levels of the Guggenheim rotunda, featuring the work of contemporary artists Etel Adnan, Jennie C. Jones, and Cecilia Vicuña. Vasily Kandinsky: Around the Circle is organized by Megan Fontanella, Curator, Modern Art, and Provenance, and is on view at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York until September 5, 2022.
