Qatar Museums (QM) announced the organisation of “Ellsworth Kelly at 100”, a major survey exhibition commemorating the late artist’s seven-decade career and the first retrospective of his work in the MENASA region.

The exhibition features nearly 70 works from Glenstone’s collection and those from major international museums on loan.

Organized by the Glenstone Museum (Maryland, USA), the exhibition celebrates the artist’s 100th birthday in 2023 and is one of the largest retrospectives of Kelly’s work in the 21st century. The presentation will be on display from October 31, 2024 to February 2025 at M7, Qatar’s epicenter for innovation and entrepreneurship in design, fashion and technology.

The works on display cover the wide range of media the artist worked in, from painting and sculpture to works on paper, collage and photography. Highlights include formative early paintings such as Painting for a White Wall (1952), a groundbreaking work of assembled monochrome panels, and Painting in Three Panels (1956), a key example of Kelly’s engagement with architecture. These early works will be on display alongside examples from the now canonical Chatham and Spectrum series.

A selection of plant drawings that Kelly has made throughout his career will take centre stage, alongside a selection of rarely exhibited photographs.

M7 Director Maha Ghanim Al Sulaiti said: “Ellsworth Kelly honed his craft over the course of seventy years, demonstrating how careful attention to the seemingly simplest of things can reveal wonderful insights. Our mission with Ellsworth Kelly at 100 at M7 is to inspire in our visitors the same kind of enthusiasm and curiosity that has characterized him throughout his career. We hope that Kelly’s reduced forms and bright, bold colors will inspire local and foreign audiences to pay more attention to the creativity that characterizes the world around them.”

For her part, Glenstone Director and Co-Founder Emily Wei Rales said: “At Glenstone Museum, we present art that fundamentally changes the way we see the world. Few artists have done so with as much grace and elegance as Ellsworth Kelly, and it is an honor to partner with Qatar Museums to present the work of this groundbreaking artist in the Gulf region.”

Ellsworth Kelly (1923-2015) is considered one of the most important American painters and sculptors. Throughout his career, the artist was inspired by nature and the world around him, creating a unique style that shaped American abstraction in the 20th and 21st centuries. The comprehensive presentation will trace the artist’s lifelong exploration of the relationship between form, color, line and space through key works from crucial periods of his career. (QNA)