SOFÍA BASSI

Floating Between Earth and Sky Pippy Houldsworth Gallery 9 October–14 November 2026 London

Press Release

Pippy Houldsworth Gallery is proud to present Floating Between Earth and Sky, the first European solo exhibition of Mexican Surrealist painter and sculptor Sofía Bassi. A contemporary of Leonora Carrington and Remedios Varo, Bassi’s work has been underappreciated outside of her native country. The exhibition brings together paintings, works on paper, and painted ostrich eggs – the first time that this sculptural part of Bassi’s practice has been publicly presented. At the centre of the exhibition is the rare and exceptional altarpiece, Open this door at which I call, sobbing (1970), an iconic example of the artist’s contribution to Surrealism.

Interested in esoteric knowledge and a personal spiritual iconography, Bassi’s paintings exist as windows onto memory, mythology, fear, desire and the vast territories of the subconscious. Flying spirits and castles reside in dreamscapes of fantastical swirling mountain ranges, deserts or seascapes. The motif of the egg holds particular resonance in her practice as a symbol of fertility and rebirth. Bassi saw imagination as a form of freedom: ‘My paintings are portals to other worlds that we can inhabit. Careful observation and meditation of my work will take you to those worlds’.

The exhibition centres on important works from 1968 to 1970, signed ‘ELC’, or En la Cárcel, meaning ‘in prison’. In 1968, Bassi pleaded guilty to the murder of her son-in-law in an incident that remains veiled in uncertainty. Sentenced to ten years in prison in Acapulco, she continued to paint prolifically while incarcerated, producing more than 250 works. Her physical world had contracted, but her inner world remained unbroken: through painting, the mind could travel where the body could not.

Sofía Bassi (b. 1913, Camerino Z. Mendoza, Veracruz, d. 1998, Mexico City) studied Philosophy at The National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City. She began painting in 1964, at the age of 51, and sustained an active painting practice throughout her incarceration, thanks to her family who were able to support Bassi and many of her fellow inmates. Whilst in prison, Bassi painted Space Journey (1969), which was selected for the NASA Hall of Fame and subsequently joined the collection of The Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC. She also collaboratively produced two other murals, now in the collections of the Acapulco Municipal Palace and The National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City. Further collections include Tel Aviv Museum of Art; Museo de Arte Moderno (MAM), Mexico City; Mårbacka Memorial Museum, Stockholm; Museum of Contemporary Art of Bogotá; Museo Kaluz, Mexico City; and FAMM, Mougins.

The exhibition is presented in partnership with La Fundación Sofía Bassi and Georgina Pounds Gallery, Mexico City.

Courtesy Pippy Houldsworth Gallery.

About the Gallery

Pippy Houldsworth Gallery is a leading contemporary art gallery committed to championing diverse voices and creating long-term institutional visibility for its artists. Since relocating to its current premises in 2011, the gallery has focused on increasing the representation of female and non-binary artists, and fostering intergenerational dialogue across its programme.

The gallery has presented the first UK solo exhibitions of significant artist such as Jacqueline de Jong, Faith Ringgold, Dindga McCannon, and Carrie Mae Weems, while also providing early and sustained support to a new generation of artists, including Jadé Fadojutimi, Wangari Mathenge, Nengi Omuku, Sophia Loeb, and Shaqúelle Whyte. This commitment extends to The Box, the gallery’s micro-project space, which has hosted ambitious commissions by influential voices such as Susan Hiller, Martha Rosler, Yinka Shonibare CBE, Ai Weiwei, Alina Szapocznikow, and Woody De Othello.

A defining pillar of the gallery’s ethos is to build enduring institutional recognition for its artists. To that end, Pippy Houldsworth Gallery places significant emphasis on relationships with museums and public collections, facilitating major acquisitions internationally. Recent placements include Tate, London; Centre Pompidou, Paris; The Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Museum of Modern Art, New York; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington D.C.; Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; LACMA and Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; The Studio Museum in Harlem; Columbus Museum of Art; Nasher Museum of Art, Durham; The Whitworth, Manchester; The Hepworth Wakefield; Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh; Baltimore Museum of Art; and New Orleans Museum of Art, among others.

View Gallery Profile

Address

6 Heddon Street
London
United Kingdom

Opening Hours

Tuesday – Friday, 10am – 6pm

Saturday, 11am – 6pm

Closed Sunday and Monday

Pippy Houldsworth Gallery

6 Heddon Street, London, United Kingdom

+44 20 7734 7760

Opening hours

Tuesday – Friday, 10am – 6pm

Saturday, 11am – 6pm

Closed Sunday and Monday

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

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

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

The art world in focus