Art Basel Hong Kong

Günther Uecker’s Lichtbogen (2020) is from a new series of paintings first displayed last fall in the inaugural exhibition of Lévy Gorvy’s space in Paris. Monumental in scale, Lichtbogen embodies the fluidity, light, and gesture that has animated the work of this German master for seven decades. Another approach to gestural abstraction may be seen in Considering Rothko #13 (2020–21) by Pat Steir, from a body of work that debuted this spring at Lévy Gorvy’s location in Palm Beach, Florida. Conceived by Steir as an artistic dialogue across eras with Abstract Expressionist Mark Rothko, the series offers her investigation of the sublime possibilities of color and form. Complementing these new nonrepresentational paintings is Untitled (1976), a work from Joan Mitchell’s prime era. Created on two conjoined canvases, this painting exemplifies Mitchell’s command of vigorous brushwork and lustrous color.

Another highlight of Lévy Gorvy’s booth is Joel Shapiro’s Untitled (2015), a sculpture that epitomizes his recasting of the relationship between figuration and abstraction with spare elements that evoke the human body through compelling dynamics of extension and balance. A grouping of paintings by Yayoi Kusama includes The Galaxy (1994), an exuberant exploration of cosmic themes realized through her accumulation of abstract painted motifs. Works by Enrico Castellani, Chung Sang-Hwa, and Anish Kapoor further probe perception and abstract form, and will be paired with significant paintings by Michael Lau, Fernand Léger, and Dana Schutz.