Natives of Ethnic Ukrainian Lands at the Venice Biennale: Louise Nevelson

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to study the peculiarities of the presentation in the projects of the Venice Biennale of 1962 and 2022 of the works of the outstanding American sculptor, assemblage master, L. Nevelson (1899-1988), a native of Pereiaslav, Kyiv region, to consider the specifics of the artist's creative biography from the point of view of the influence of various sociocultural factors on her professional progress. Research methodology. Achieving the goal of the research ensured the application of a set of such methods as art criticism, biographical, historical, and among general scientific methods – observation, generalisation, analysis and synthesis. Scientific novelty. The issue of presentation of L. Nevelson's works in the projects of the Venice Biennale was not previously considered separately in the scientific literature. For the first time, a review and generalisation of three art projects of different years, which exhibited the sculptor's artistic works as part of an international art exhibition, was carried out. Conclusions. The article expands knowledge about the artistic heritage of a prominent artist, introduces her name into the Ukrainian cultural context, emphasising the significance of the sculptor's work for modern world art and culture. L. Nevelson's works presented at the Venice Biennale characterise her as an extraordinary artist, the progenitor of the idea of installation in American art. Her work is not limited to this format, but it is the monumental monochrome assemblages immersed in the plane that brought her true fame. In American art circles, L. Nevelson was as famous as Andy Warhol, she made an important step in the history of art, which due to eternal sexism, when women artists were not taken seriously, did not receive due recognition.

Keywords: Louise Nevelson, Venice Biennale, exhibition, contemporary art, sculpture, installation, assemblage, intercultural dialogue.