Become a My Ocula member for exclusive access to contemporary art and personalised artist recommendations.
Join Us Sign In
The Art World in Focus
Clear
Etel Adnan

ETEL ADNAN

Au Coeur Du Silence Galerie Lelong 19 March–7 May 2026 38 Avenue Matignon, Paris
Overview Location
Request Exhibition Preview
Press Release

Etel Adnan began drawing in California in the autumn of 1959 on small scraps of paper, using leftover pastels and coloured pencils. Her friend Ann O’Hanlon, a colleague and art teacher at Dominican College in San Rafael, had practically ordered her to take up drawing if she wanted to continue teaching aesthetics. When she saw the first results, Ann was full of admiration, and told Etel that she ultimately had nothing to teach her and that she could embark on a career as an artist.

For 60 years, Etel Adnan has continued to work on paper. Using Indian ink, pencils, oil pastels, watercolours and gouache, she has experimented with numerous techniques, applying them to white or coloured sheets, leporellos, and even Asian papers. Mountains, of course, but also cosmic abstractions, bowls of fruit, flowers, horizons, geometric collages... Subjects abound in this essential part of her work, which has been relatively little shown, particularly the works produced during her first stay in America. Two tapestries are also included in the exhibition, since it is important to remember that they were made by craftsmen based on a “cartoon” produced on paper by the artist in preparation for weaving.

To mark Etel Adnan’s centenary last year, Galerie Lelong in New York organised the first retrospective of her work on paper in the United States. This new exhibition in Paris offers visitors the chance to discover some works that have never been exhibited before.

The Lebanese-American artist, poet and essayist Etel Adnan was born in Beirut in 1925. Since documenta13 in 2012, her pictorial work has gained international recognition. Etel Adnan’s works feature in numerous collections, including the MNAM – Centre Pompidou, Paris; Mathaf, Doha, Qatar; MoMA, New York; M+, Hong Kong; Royal Jordanian Museum, Amman; MACAM Tunis; Sursock Museum, Beirut; Institut du monde arabe, Paris; British Museum, London; Tate Gallery, London; World Bank Collection, Washington D.C.; National Museum for Women in the Arts, Washington D.C.; SFMOMA, San Francisco; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York.

Read More
About the Artist

Etel Adnan was born on February 24, 1925 in Beirut. Lebanese American artist and writer, she presently lives and works in Paris. Since the 1960s, Etel Adnan has been making accordion-fold books, or leporellos, that meld visual and verbal observation, fusing the artist’s parallel practices in painting and writing as she transcribes poems and records unfolding landscapes and urban spaces.

View Artist Profile

Also Exhibiting at Galerie Lelong

All Exhibitions
David Nash
DAVID NASH Catching Forms. Wood to Bronze Galerie Lelong 10 September–10 October 2026 13 Rue de Téhéran, Paris
Barthélémy Toguo
BARTHÉLÉMY TOGUO The Nomadic Studio Galerie Lelong 10 September–10 October 2026 13 Rue de Téhéran, Paris
About the Gallery
Galerie Lelong is located in Paris and New York. It was founded by Jacques Dupin, Daniel Lelong and Jean Frémon.

The Paris gallery has been exhibiting recent works from artists of international standing since 1981. The 1980s were notable for artists who went on to become household names, including Joan Miró, Antoni Tàpies, Francis Bacon, Louise Bourgeois, Eduardo Chillida, Paul Rebeyrolle, Pierre Alechinsky, but also for the next generation of artists: Konrad Klapheck, Jan Dibbets, Donald Judd, Robert Ryman, Richard Serra, Jannis Kounellis, Arnulf Rainer, Nicola De Maria and Jan Voss.

In the 1990s, the gallery hosted artists who represented major movements in contemporary art: Sean Scully, Günther Förg, Andy Goldsworthy, Ernest Pignon-Ernest, Antonio Saura. The gallery also increased international recognition of the work of Ana Mendieta.

Since the turn of the century, Galerie Lelong has accentuated the geographical and expressive diversity of its artists: from sculpture and objects by Jaume Plensa, David Nash, Wolfgang Laib, Kiki Smith, Rebecca Horn, Barry Flanagan to installations by Barthélémy Toguo and Lin Tianmiao, without forgetting painting, namely David Hockney, Robert Motherwell, Kate Shepherd, Nalini Malani, Nancy Spero, Juan Uslé, Leon KossoffLeon Kossoff.

Galerie Lelong has a large publishing department which produces and distributes engravings, lithographs, digital prints and multiple objects, and collates these works in catalogues raisonnés.

It produces monumental sculptures to order for public spaces and private clients.

The gallery is present at the leading international contemporary art fairs (Art Basel, Art Basel Miami Beach, Art Basel Hong Kong, Fiac Paris, Frieze London, Frieze New York, Arco Madrid, Art Brussels, Expo Chicago...).

The directors of the gallery are Jean Frémon, Daniel Lelong and Patrice Cotensin in Paris and Mary Sabbatino in New York.
View Gallery Profile
Address
38 avenue Matignon
Paris
France
Opening Hours
Tues - Sat, 11am - 7pm
(1)
Paris 38 avenue Matignon
Galerie Lelong contemporary art gallery in 38 Avenue Matignon Paris France
Galerie Lelong
38 avenue Matignon, Paris, France
+33 171 722 699
http://www.galerie-lelong.com

Opening hours
Tues - Sat, 11am - 7pm
Magazine Gallery Platform Advisory
Ocula Magazine

A respected voice in contemporary art discourse.

Focusing on ambitious storytelling and insightful art-world commentary. Ocula Magazine publishes in-depth interviews, critical essays and timely analysis on the artists, exhibitions and ideas driving the global art world.

 Learn more about Ocula Magazine Learn more about Ocula Magazine Ocula Gallery Platform

Showcasing the best of the art world.

Ocula partners with galleries from around the world to highlight their artists, artworks and exhibitions. Gallery membership is by application and invitation, with each member vetted by an independent panel.

 Learn more about Ocula Membership Learn more about Ocula Membership Ocula Advisory

Specialises in the sale of major artworks.

Led by a team with deep ties to the world’s leading auction houses, galleries and collectors. Ocula’s advisory team offers bespoke services to high-net-worth clients from around the world who are looking to acquire the best of contemporary and modern art.

 Learn more about our team and services Learn more about Ocula Advisory
The art world in focus