Louise Nevelson

Works and biography

As an artist whose life coincided with the major historical events and artistic movements of the twentieth century, Louise Nevelson (1899–1988) remained to a remarkable degree true to a singular vision of herself as an artist and her work. Although her name has been connected with Cubism, Dada, Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism, Minimalism, installation art and feminism, she did not ally herself with any movement and easily threw off all labels. She worked hard to establish herself within the male-dominated art world, but did not wish to be seen as a trailblazing ‘woman artist’. Nevertheless, Nevelson was a trailblazer, a bold woman who made bold choices. She enjoyed being an artist as much as creating art and, by the end of her life, had become a legend…

Night Sail

Works in the MOMA collection