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Galerie Beyeler

Galerie Beyeler

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Sophie Taeuber-Arp, Le vase, 1935, painted wooden relief, Patrons' Permanent Fund, 2023.132.1

Le vase

Sophie Taeuber-Arp · 1935 · painted wooden relief ·  Accession ID  2023.132.1

An abstracted, thin, nude woman with a round face half sits, half leans back against a tall, narrow support in this free-standing bronze sculpture. Her body faces us in this photograph. Her wide, oval face has two stylized, star-like eyes and a triangular opening for a mouth. The torso is tall and thin, and her limbs elongated. With thin arms, she holds up open hands with palms facing each other at the level of her round breasts. Her fingers are long and delicate. She is encased within a tall, rectangular frame. With knees slightly bent and resting against a panel that runs in front of her shins, she leans against a slat against her backside, perhaps the seat to a stylized chair. Her feet are pressed together on a double-tiered, low, square base with four bulbous feet at the corners.
Alberto Giacometti, The Invisible Object (Hands Holding the Void), model 1934, cast 1935, bronze, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund, 1973.27.1

The Invisible Object (Hands Holding the Void)

Alberto Giacometti · model 1934, cast 1935 · bronze ·  Accession ID  1973.27.1

The sculpture depicts a standing nude female figure with long golden hair cascading over her shoulders and down her back. Her arms are by her sides, and she stands upright, looking down and to the left. The material of the sculpture is dark, and her skin is a dark brown color. There are some small dots of gold on her torso and around her groin. The figure stands on a round base with an uneven surface.
Paul Gauguin, Eve, 1890, glazed ceramic, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund, 1970.30.1

Eve

Paul Gauguin · 1890 · glazed ceramic ·  Accession ID  1970.30.1

Overlapping, geometric shapes painted in tones of tan, oatmeal, and coffee brown and outlined in black cluster along the center of this tall, vertical, abstract painting. Except for the outlines, the paint is put on in long, horizontal strokes to create patches of color. The unpainted canvas shows through in some areas, especially in the lower corners and up along the right edge. A few shapes could recall body parts, like curved shapes for breasts near the top and an angled line for an elbow. The artist signed the work with black paint at the lower center: “Picasso.”
Pablo Picasso, Nude Woman, 1910, oil on canvas, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund, 1972.46.1

Nude Woman

Pablo Picasso · 1910 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1972.46.1

Black lines and one small, black triangular shape stand out against patches of color, in indigo and sky blue, pumpkin orange, butter yellow, emerald green, and ruby red, against a white background in this vertical, abstract painting. The paint seems thinly applied, resembling watercolor. Near the lower right corner, the black shape is roughly triangular and has five curving, parallel lines emanating from the bottom. Given the title of this painting, Improvisation 31, Sea Battle, the black lines could represent tall masts and outlines of sails amid areas of vibrant color that make up a boat and water around it.
Wassily Kandinsky, Improvisation 31 (Sea Battle), 1913, oil on canvas, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund, 1978.48.1

Improvisation 31 (Sea Battle)

Wassily Kandinsky · 1913 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1978.48.1

We look down at an angle onto a pale yellow city street lined with French flags in this tall painting. A carriage drawn by a light brown horse is driven away from us by a person wearing a muted pink jacket and white cap. The passenger wears a black coat and rounded top hat. Closer to us and in the lower right corner of the canvas, two women, a young girl, and a man stand on the white sidewalk running parallel to the street. They all have pale skin. One woman wears a high-necked, long red gown and black cap. She cradles a stick or flower in one arm and holds the little girl’s hand with her other. The girl wears a white dress with tiny black polka dots, and a teal-blue, feathered cap. Both have blond hair. The man stands under the large, gold dial face of a public clock to our right. He has gray hair, wears a brown suit, and appears to look toward the woman and child with his hands in his pockets. Another woman wearing an ocean-blue dress and crimson-red cap walks away. A second carriage is farther down the road on the far curb. Two men and a woman walk across store fronts there. Flags vertically striped with red, white, and blue hang along the street. The scene is loosely painted with some areas of flat color and visible brushstrokes.
Pierre Bonnard, Paris, Rue de Parme on Bastille Day, 1890, oil on canvas, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 1995.47.2

Paris, Rue de Parme on Bastille Day

Pierre Bonnard · 1890 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1995.47.2

Boldly colored abstract forms line most of the left and right thirds of this vertical painting to leave the central channel mostly white. The forms are angular and irregular with jagged edges. Those on the left are mostly royal blue and emerald green, and those on the right are largely fuchsia pink and red. Violet-purple, black, and yellow areas and streaks are on both sides. The center is spotted with thin drips of paint, fine spatters, or tiny dots of paint.
Sam Francis, White Line, 1958/1959, oil on canvas, Gift of the Collectors Committee, 1985.56.1

White Line

Sam Francis · 1958/1959 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1985.56.1

The image displays intersecting lines and shapes forming an intricate pattern on the canvas. The composition suggests chaotic movement and complexity. The overlapping lines and varying thickness resemble a tangled web or branching patterns of leafless tree limbs against the sky.
Lenz Klotz, Abstraction, probably 1974, etching on wove paper, Gift of Galerie Beyeler, 1988.43.1

Abstraction

Lenz Klotz · probably 1974 · etching on wove paper ·  Accession ID  1988.43.1

Shapes cut from pieces of painted paper suggest a person and flowers on this abstracted, horizontal composition. Slivers, curving segments, and circles made with black paper make up the silhouetted body of a person to the right. A shape with four long fingers extending downward suggests a marigold-yellow skirt around the person’s hips. Four-petaled flowers in shades of aquamarine blue, butter yellow, shamrock green, red, fuchsia, and orange float around the person, mostly to the left. A few pairs of black slivers suggest flying birds. The canvas background is streaked with ivory white and pale peach.
Henri Matisse, La Négresse, 1952, paper collage on canvas, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund, 1973.6.1

La Négresse

Henri Matisse · 1952 · paper collage on canvas ·  Accession ID  1973.6.1

The image features intersecting lines and geometric shapes forming an abstract composition. In the center, a teardrop shape outlined in blue connects to the top corners with lines extending from its peak. Above the teardrop, a small circle sits at the top. Below, two elongated triangular shapes extend downwards. The composition is set against a background of contrasting white and brown.
Robert Motherwell, Personnage, 1945, oil on canvas board, Gift of Aaron I. Fleischman, in Honor of the 50th Anniversary of the National Gallery of Art, 1991.44.1

Personnage

Robert Motherwell · 1945 · oil on canvas board ·  Accession ID  1991.44.1