For Immediate Release
February 18, 2004

Media Contacts:
Gabriel Riera: 305.375.1706
griera@miamidade.gov
Maile Rodriguez: 305.375.1705
maile@miamidade.gov

Miami Art Museum Presents A Landmark Exhibition
Of International Art  

Beyond Geometry: Experiments in Form, 1940s−70s
November 19, 2004 – April 24, 2005.

Miami Art Museum presents the groundbreaking exhibition Beyond Geometry: Experiments in Form, 1940s−70s, on view from November 19, 2004 through April 24, 2005. A major reappraisal of the international art scene of the 20th century, Beyond Geometry examines how in the decades after World War II, artists in Europe, South America and North America turned to geometric abstraction as a springboard for experimentation.

The exhibition contains more than 120 works by 85 artists from 20 countries and three continents. Loans come from artists and their estates, private collections, and public institutions worldwide. Many works have never before been seen in the United States.

The countries represented are: Austria, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Croatia, the Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Switzerland, the United States, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

Artists featured in the exhibition include: Josef Albers, Carl Andre, Max Bill, Lygia Clark, Carlos Cruz Diez, Dan Flavin, Lucio Fontana, Gego, Donald Judd, Julio LeParc, Sol LeWitt, François Morellet, Robert Morris, Barnett Newman, Hélio Oiticica, Ad Reinhardt, Bridget Riley, Mira Schendel, Tony Smith, Robert Smithson, Jesús Rafael Soto and Victor Vasarely, among others.

The period from 1945 to 1979 constitutes a significant period that saw such historical events as the cold war and Vietnam. Social movements formed around issues such as civil rights and women’s rights. An activist youth culture emerged that relentlessly questioned the status quo. Dominance and influence in the art world shifted from Europe to the Americas.

Emerging after the height of Modernism, in the midst of a growing global consciousness, the artists represented in Beyond Geometry developed radical new forms of art making that simultaneously reflected and informed the socially and politically turbulent times in which they were living. Beyond Geometry examines these developments as they unfolded throughout the continents of Europe, North America and South America. Latin American art in particular has not been afforded its rightful place in the development of geometric abstraction. Beyond Geometry is the first exhibition to examine South American art outside its regional context, looking carefully at differences, as well as similarities, in art trends and ideas on all three continents.

The exhibition juxtaposes intimate moments with physically enveloping art experiences. A nearly universal concern for the artists in Beyond Geometry was the creation of a new, more interactive relationship with the viewer. Many attempted to transform the spectator into a central agent in the creation of the work. Some wanted to intensify the experience of art by engaging the beholder’s entire body, not simply the eyes. Others tried to both reveal and implicate the viewer in the process of creation. The works in this exhibition range in scope from a miniscule box measuring less than an inch that can be held on the tip of one’s finger, to a black-and-white installation that makes up an entire room to walk through.

In additional to painting and sculpture, the show presents major installation works, light-based work, kinetic art, artists’ books, as well as video documentation of performances and earthworks.

“ Miami Art Museum is the only art institution in South Florida that can present a significant exhibition of this breadth and scope,” said MAM Director, Suzanne Delehanty. “Beyond Geometry helps place the recent art history of Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Uruguay, Venezuela, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland within an international framework, where it belongs.”

CREDIT LINE

This exhibition was organized by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and curated by Lynn Zelevansky, Curator and Department Head, Modern and Contemporary Art. It was supported in part by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities, dedicated to expanding American understanding of history and culture. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this exhibition do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

In Miami, the exhibition is supported by Miami Art Museum's Annual Exhibition Fund and is coordinated by Assistant Director for Programs/Senior Curator Peter Boswell and Associate Curator Cheryl Hartup.

MAM’S ANNUAL EXHIBITION FUND

Grand Benefactors Ferrell Schultz, Tina Hills, Joan Reynolds Linclau, Patricia Papper Benefactors BlueCross BlueShield of Florida, Northern Trust Donors The Cowles Charitable Trust, Ella Fontanals Cisneros, The Aaron I. Fleischman Foundation, Mary & Howard Frank, Rose Ellen Meyerhoff Greene, Deborah & Larry Hoffman, Mellon, Nedra & Mark Oren, Podhurst Orseck, P.A., Toni & Carl Randolph, The Scharlin Family Foundation Sponsors Darlene & Jorge M. Perez, Arthur H. Rice, Raquel & Michael Scheck Patrons American Express Company, Christie’s, Diane & Ernest Halpryn, George L. Lindemann, Nancy & Robert Magoon, Jane & Albert Nahmad, Roz & Charles Stuzin, Judy & Sherwood Weiser, Sally & Earl Wiener, Jerome A. Yavitz Charitable Foundation, Inc. – Stephen H. Cypen, President

RELATED PUBLICATIONS

Gallery Notes —A four-color exhibition brochure featuring an essay by Miami Art Museum curators, Peter Boswell and Cheryl Hartup. Available free of charge in the gallery.

Catalogue —The exhibition is accompanied by a 240 page catalogue with 130 color plates and 102 black-and-white illustrations. The catalogue features essays by exhibition curator Lynne Zelevansky, Peter Frank, Valerie L. Hillings, Inés Katzenstein, Brandon LaBelle, and Miklós Peternák place the works in the context of art history and the aesthetic and social issues of the time. The catalogue is copublished by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and The MIT Press. Available in the MAM Store. Price: $50

RELATED PROGRAMS AND EVENTS  

Beyond Geometry Opening Reception
Thursday, November 18, 5 – 8:30pm
Cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and live music by the Spam Allstars
MAM members free; non-members $5
RSVP by November 12 to MAMRSVP@miamidade.gov or call 305.375.1704

Beyond Geometry International Roundtable
Tuesday, November 30, 2:30 – 4:30pm
MAM members $5; non-members $10
MAM Assistant Director for Programs/Senior Curator Peter Boswell moderates a panel of international scholars and artists—Lynn Zelevansky, exhibition curator and head of modern and contemporary art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Luis Perez-Oramas, curator at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and celebrated French artist Francois Morellet—who discuss the migration and evolution of ideas stemming from abstract geometric art in Europe, North America and Latin America from the 1940s to the 1970s.

This program is generously underwritten by Gonzalo Parodi and Banco Mercantil.

Party on the Plaza
Thursday, December 2, 7 – 10pm
MAM’s signature Art Basel Miami Beach event highlighting MAM’s three exhibitions on view: Beyond Geometry, Fabian Marcaccio and Light and Atmosphere. A magical evening under the stars including live music by Suenalo Sound System, over-the-top hors d’oeuvres and creative cocktails. By invitation only.

The evening is generously supported by Lehman Brothers and Neuberger Berman, a Lehman Brothers Company.
 

PROGRAMMING FOR FAMILIES AND SCHOOL GROUPS  

Tours for K-12 Students
Tuesdays – Fridays
10am – 1pm
MAM’s gallery teachers lead class tours of the exhibition. By appointment.  

Second Saturdays are Free for Families
Second Saturday of every month, 1 – 4pm
Drop in to enjoy fun, interactive programs. Families of all ages explore MAM together, find inspiration to create works of art, and participate in hands-on activities led by Gallery Teachers and student volunteers.

Kool Kinetics
December 11
Experience the exhibition Beyond Geometryon your own or on a tour. Design and build a kinetic geometric sculpture in the hands-on workshop.

Krazy Kaleidescopes
January 8
Explore the use of pattern and color in the exhibition Beyond Geometry. Enjoy a family tour, then find all the supplies you need in the hands-on workshop to make a kaleidoscope with fun fractured shapes and colors that change!

Wacky Wire
February 12
Tour the exhibition Beyond Geometry and look for artist Gego’s “wired world”.
Enjoy a musical performance to stimulate your imagination and create your own wire-inspired sculpture in the hands-on workshop.  

Geomazing Origami
March 12
How many different geometric shapes can you find in the exhibition Beyond Geometry? Join us foranorigami (art of folded paper) demonstration in the hands-on workshop and construct your favorite shapes with special paper.

Beyond Geometry Family Festival
Saturday, April 9
1 – 4pm
A day of fun-filled, family activities on the plaza inspired by individual works and ideas within the exhibition.

Art & Math Day
Thursday, April 21
10am – 2pm
Students from math magnet schools come for activities on the plaza and tours of the exhibition. 

PROGRAMMING FOR ADULTS  

JAM @ MAM – Happy Hour with an Artful Twist
Third Thursdays 5-8:30pm
Music, cocktails, hors d’oeuvres
MAM members free; non-members $5

January 20
Beyond Geometry Gallery Talks
A younger generation discusses their personal connections to artists in Beyond Geometry and the ideas behind some of the works in the exhibition.
6:30pm, Eugenio Espinoza
7:30pm, Cyriaco Lopes

February 17
Beyond Geometry Sound JAM
6:30pm Release in Miami by Gustavo Matamoros, a tribute to composer John Cage
7:30pm , concert by bassist Luis G ómez-Imbert

March 17
Beyond Geometry Slide JAM
Featuring Miami-based artists who use geometry in their work 7pm

Guided Tours for Adults in English and Spanish

Sundays, 2pm and by appointment
Bring your group for a free tour of the exhibition led by MAM’s trained, volunteer tour guides.

Accredited by the American Association of Art Museums, Miami Art Museum is sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts; with the support of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, the Cultural Affairs Council, the Mayor and the Board of County Commissioners.

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