Swiss artist Verena Loewensberg (1912 – 1986) was a leading figure within the influential Zurich school of concrete artists. She was also the only female member of the group, which included Max Bill, Camille Graeser and Richard Paul Lohse.
Hauser & Wirth presents the gallery’s first solo exhibition in the UK dedicated to this singular 20th-Century figure, featuring striking paintings from the 1960s to 1980s in which Loewensberg broke from the strictures of concrete art.
Shifting to ideas of color field, hard-edge and minimalism, the artist distinguished herself through her formal and chromatic flair. These are accompanied by two lively early works from the ‘40s and late ‘50s respectively, the only sculpture Loewensberg ever made and a wallpaper based on a design by the artist.
The exhibition is organized with Henriette Coray Loewensberg, president of the Verena Loewensberg Foundation, with the support of Lionel Bovier, vice president of the Foundation and director of MAMCO in Geneva, Switzerland.
The exhibition opens with a wallpapered section of wall, which not only provides a backdrop to present Loewensberg’s paintings upon but also offers a glimpse into the artist’s early career. In 1927, Loewensberg began studying weaving, embroidery, design and color theory and, like Sonia Delaunay and Sophie Taeuber-Arp, she worked in applied arts and design throughout her career, firmly believing in the application of geometric abstraction to everyday life.
An example of one of her designs is reproduced as a wallpaper and is complemented by an oil on canvas from 1957. With this painting, Loewensberg achieved a sense of movement and energy both through her striking palette of primary colors and more and by fragmenting the grid—a structuring system she would often play with. This anticipates the unrestrained use of shape, patterning and color prevalent in her work from the 1960s.
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