URSULA VON RYDINGSVARD

GDY ONA - When She Galerie Lelong 21 November 2019–11 January 2020 13 Rue de Téhéran, Paris

Press Release

For more than 40 years, Ursula von Rydingsvard has developed surprising biomorphic constructions, often on a monumental scale. Placed in nature, these works appear like natural concretions formed by erosion or sedimentation, sentient and rivalling with the surrounding trees and foliage, as we have seen in Chaumont-sur-Loire. They are also remarkably at home in an urban setting, as seen with the presentation of her sculptures in 2015 at the Giardino della Marinessa in Venice.

The artist mostly works with cedar wood, with its unique fragrance and strong weather-resistance; she carves into it in a compulsive manner and covers it with graphite. The exhibition will also present two bronzes cast from wooden moulds. In addition, some works on paper will be shown.

Ursula von Rydingsvard was born in 1942 in Deensen, in Nazi Germany, to a Polish mother and a Ukrainian father, both of whom were farmers. They lived through the occupation of Poland and the traumas of the Second World War. Her family then emigrated to the United States and settled in Plainville, Connecticut. Ursula von Rydingsvard holds degrees from the University of Miami, 1965 and the University of Columbia in 1975.

Her work can be seen in the Domain of Chaumont-sur-Loire, at the Storm King Art Center and the Bloomberg Building in New York, at the Nelson-Atkins, Kansas City, the Barclays Center in Brooklyn and in the gardens of the Museum of Philadelphia. The Yorkshire Sculpture Park, in Great Britain, presented a retrospective of the artist in 2014. Her work can be found in around 30 museums worldwide.

About the Artist

Ursula von Rydingsvard was born in Germany in 1942. Until the age of 8, she comes and goes from a refugees camp to another along with her family. In 1950, the familly settles in Plainville, Connecticut. She passes a Master of Fine Arts degree in the Columbia University in 1975. In 2000, she receives the second prize for the best exhibition in a gallery, awarded by the International Art Critique Association. In 1984, she receives the Guggenheim fellowship.

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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 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.

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Address

13 rue de Téhéran
Paris
France

Opening Hours

Tues - Fri, 10.30am - 6pm
Sat, 2pm - 6.30pm

Galerie Lelong

13 rue de Téhéran, Paris, France

+33 145 631 319
http://www.galerie-lelong.com

Opening hours

Tues - Fri, 10.30am - 6pm
Sat, 2pm - 6.30pm

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