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Across diverse geographies and generations, the artists share a commitment to expanding the visual language of their time. Lucio Fontana’s spatial interventions and Carlos Cruz-Diez’s pioneering investigations of color challenge traditional notions of the picture plane, activating the viewer’s perceptual experience. Hans Hofmann’s modernist approach to color and structure provides a critical foundation for these developments, while Gerhard Richter’s practice introduces complexity and ambiguity, questioning the nature of images and abstraction itself.
Figuration and popular imagery are explored through the distinctly American perspectives of Robert Indiana, Tom Wesselmann, and Robert Cottingham. Drawing on language, advertising, the body, and the urban environment, their works transform familiar visual codes into iconic images that balance immediacy with conceptual depth and enduring appeal.
The inclusion of Emily Kngwarreye and Paddy Bedford extends the exhibition beyond Western frameworks, foregrounding Indigenous Australian practices that translate deep cultural knowledge and connection to land into powerful contemporary visual forms. Their work underscores the global reach of abstraction and its capacity to carry meaning that is both timeless and culturally specific.
Rather than following a single narrative, the exhibition presents a dynamic constellation of established artists whose works resonate across formal, conceptual, and cultural lines. Seen together, these works affirm their lasting significance and offer collectors and viewers alike the opportunity to engage with art that continues to inspire, challenge, and endure.
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Tom Wesselmann
Study for Bedroom Nude, 1985 -
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Carlos Cruz-Diez
Cromointerferencia Espacial 38, 1964 - 2015Chromography on aluminum and acrylic
60 x 80 cm
23.6 x 31.5 inch -
Carlos Cruz-Diez
Physichromie Panam 282, 2018Chromography on aluminum
100 x 100 cm
39.4 x 39.4 inch -
Paddy Nyunkuny Bedford
Janterrji - Dolly Hole, 2004Natural pigment, ochres and synthetic binder on composition board
80 x 100 cm
31.5 x 39.4 inch -
Paddy Nyunkuny Bedford
Camel Gap, 2004Natural Pigment, Ochres and synthetic binder on composition board
80 x 100 cm
31.5 x 39.4 inch -
Tom Wesselmann
Study for Bedroom Nude, 1985Pencil and liquitex on Bristol board
26 x 52.1 cm
10.4 x 20.5 inch -
Lucio Fontana
Concetto Spaziale, 1960Graffiti, holes, ink and anilin on linen paper laid on canvas (by the artist)
46.2 x 62 cm
18.3 x 24.4 inch -
Emily Kame Kngwarreye
Yam Dreaming, 1995Acrylic on canvas
199 x 305 cm
78.3 x 120.1 inch -
Makinti Napanangka
Peewee, 2002Synthetic polymer paint on Belgian linen
153 x 122 cm
60.2 x 48 inch -
Makinti Napanangka
Lupulnga, 2004Synthetic polymer paint on Belgian linen
121.5 x 92 cm
47.6 x 36.2 inch -
Robert Cottingham
Star (Red), 2009Silk-screen print on canvas
200 x 200 cm
79 x 79 inch -
Robert Cottingham
Star (Yellow), 2009Silk-screen print on canvas
200 x 200 cm
79 x 79 inch -
Robert Indiana
LOVE, 1996Painted red/blue/green on aluminum
66 x 66 cm
26 x 26 inch
Edition of 5 -
Robert Indiana
Tikvah (Hope Hebrew), 2013Silkscreen on canvas
45.7 x 45.7 cm
18 x 18 inch
Edition of 9
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Enduring Visions: Icons of Modern and Contemporary Art
Current viewing_room
SmithDavidson Gallery presents Enduring Visions: Icons of Modern and Contemporary Art. This exhibition brings together a curated selection of blue-chip artists whose works continue to define key developments in modern and contemporary art. Presented through important examples on the secondary market, the exhibition highlights practices that have not only shaped art history but remain highly relevant within today’s cultural and collecting landscape.

