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White Cube London Honors Abstract Expressionist Icon Al Held

White Cube London is presenting a captivating solo exhibition on American Abstract Expressionist Al Held at its Bermondsey location. Titled “About Space,” the exhibition delves into Held’s 50-year exploration of the intricate relationships between color, form, and space.

Al Held: Pioneer of Abstract Expressionism

Al Held, widely regarded as a pioneer of Abstract Expressionism, emerged on the art scene post-military service in 1947. His work reflects influences from Franz Kline and Jackson Pollock, as well as Hard-Edge artists like Frank Stella and Ellsworth Kelly. However, Held distinguished himself by merging elements from these varied styles, creating massive, wall-to-wall acrylic paintings that transport viewers to an almost hallucinatory dimension. In these works, shapes contour across an endless void of vibrant colors or stark monochrome.

Highlights of the Art Exhibition

Highlights of the exhibition include “Roberta’s Trip II” (1986), reminiscent of a surreal Microsoft screensaver with unsettling forms in muddy hues of orange, blue, and purple, as well as “Eagle Rock IV” (2004) and “Fourteen and Four Fifths” (1997). “Black Nile VII” (1974) focuses on the geometry of circles, squares, and triangles, presenting unmoored and paradoxical perspectives devoid of color.

Contemporary Art and Renaissance Perspectives

By reintroducing Renaissance perspectives into modern painting, Held incorporated three-dimensional elements into the flat plane of the canvas. In a 1958 interview, he explained, “I would like to develop from this not by going inwards toward the old horizon, but outward toward the spectator. The space between the canvas and the spectator is real—emotionally, physically, and logically. It exists as an actual extension of the canvas surface. I would like to use it as such and thus bridge the gulf that separates the painter from the viewer.”

Explore the profound works of Al Held at White Cube London and witness the legendary artist’s unique contribution to Abstract Expressionism.