It Must Be Seen: Exploring the Autonomy of Colour in Abstract Art at Juan March Institute
Discover how color serves as the structuring principle in diverse 20th and 21st-century abstract art.
This exhibition at the Juan March Institute delves into the profound role of color within abstract art from the 20th and 21st centuries. It features a compelling collection where color transcends representation, becoming the primary organizational force. Explore diverse media, including painting, sculpture, textiles, and video art, alongside historical theories of color and an immersive visual experience. The exhibition reveals how artists liberated color, allowing it to assert its own significance.
About It Must Be Seen. The Autonomy of Colour in Abstract Art at Juan March Institute in Madrid
Read curatorial context and practical visitor information for It Must Be Seen. The Autonomy of Colour in Abstract Art at Juan March Institute in Madrid
Exhibition summary
This exhibition explores the central role of color in abstract art from the 20th and 21st centuries. It showcases works where color is the primary structuring principle, moving beyond representation and the primacy of line. The exhibition features diverse media, including painting, sculpture, textiles, and video art.
Curatorial context
Color, as a phenomenon and a concept, has been a constant presence in human thought and artistic practice. This exhibition, 'It Must Be Seen. The Autonomy of Colour in Abstract Art,' delves into how abstract art, emerging in the early 20th century, liberated color from the constraints of representation and the dominance of line. For the first time, color could assert its own presence and significance within a work.
The exhibition presents a wide array of artists from the 20th and 21st centuries for whom color is a fundamental and organizing element. It traces the evolution from early abstract experiments, focusing particularly on the use of planar color, unmodulated by gesture. Beyond traditional painting and sculpture, the exhibition encompasses a broad spectrum of artistic expressions, including textiles, ceramics, photography, installations, film, video, and artists' books.
Complementing the artworks are two distinct sections. The first delves into the historical theories of color, displaying diagrams and chromatic circles that illustrate artistic and scientific understandings developed from the 18th and 19th centuries. It also examines the intricate relationship between color, optics, and the physics of light, exploring the historical progression of pigments and dyes, as well as the polychromy in art. This section further touches upon the philosophical, ideological, and cultural implications associated with color. The second space, 'Coloramas,' offers an immersive visual experience designed to amplify the survey of color presented throughout the exhibition.
Admission and ticket notes
Information on visiting the exhibition, including ticketing details, can likely be found on the museum's official website or through links provided for related events and catalogs. Visitors are directed to purchase the catalog for further details and may find event information for the opening and symposiums related to the exhibition's theme.
It Must Be Seen. The Autonomy of Colour in Abstract Art key exhibition facts
Review exhibition status, schedule, venue context, and attribution details for It Must Be Seen. The Autonomy of Colour in Abstract Art at Juan March Institute in Madrid
Venue
Juan March Institute
Current status
Completed
Exhibition schedule
Feb 28, 2025 – Jun 8, 2025
Artist line / attribution
Information not currently available
Madrid
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