LOUISE NEVELSON AT THE JEWISH MUSEUM

When I think of Louise Nevelson I think of things like the Coast Guard station where Eugene O'Neill lived for a time amid the dunes of Cape Cod. O'Neill biographer Louis Sheaffer writes that it was "Built inside and out of weathered wood to withstand the onslaught of the elements" and notes "The predominant colors were blue and white, especially white—white ceilings and walls with so many coats of paint they were luminous, gleaming even in the dark, and nearly all the furniture was white." When I think of Louise Nevelson, I think of that, and of exposed wooden ceiling beams, and of the mysterious and playful boxes of Joseph Cornell.

The worthwhile Nevelson retrospective at The Jewish Museum (through September 16, free on Saturdays) is filled with painted wood that often suggests the exposed frame of a home or items that might be strewn about an attic or cellar or flea market or junkyard or shore until an artist comes by and gives them new life.

One of the installations, Dawn's Wedding Feast (1959), was reassembled with pieces from more than twelve sources.























This is Royal Tide I (1960).
































This is Self-Portrait: Silent Music IV (1964). Does she look familiar?
































This is Dream House XXXII (1972).
































Not shown is Mrs. N's Palace (1964-1977), a 20-foot-wide black enclosure that, for me, was the highlight of the show.


Dawn’s Wedding Feast, 1959, painted wood. © Estate of Louise Nevelson / Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY. Photo © John Aquino.

Royal Tide I, 1960, painted wood, 86 x 40 x 8 inches. Collection of Peter and Beverly Lipman. © Estate of Louise Nevelson / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo by Sheldan C. Collins.

Self-Portrait: Silent Music IV, 1964, wood painted black, 90 x 65 ½ x 18 in. (229 x 166.5 x 46 cm). Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art, Japan. © Estate of Louise Nevelson / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

Dream House XXXII, 1972, painted wood with metal hinges, 75 1/8 x 24 5/8 x 16 7/8 inches. Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, The Joseph H. Hirshhorn Bequest, 1981. © Estate of Louise Nevelson / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.