Bringing the Art to You Week #28 Untitled (Black Trapezoid with Rouge) , c. 1960, watercolor on paper, 26” x 20" Just today, an article in Hyperallergic points out the fact that the standard “story" of Abstract Expressionism is a lie, insofar that it is still largely ignoring the importance of its many female contributors. The author notes: "Women weren’t working on the peripheries, they were driving the movement forward.” He points at several recent exhibits that are part of the ongoing effort to set the record straight. One of those exhibits was recently at the Huxley Parlour Gallery in London where they presented Women and the Void: Abstract Expressionism on Paper . The above work on paper by Dusti Bongé was shown in this exhibit. Dusti, like the other women featured, did numerous works on paper, which allowed them to continually experiment with forms, colors and gestures. The latter in turn offered them ways to refer to, or express, conceptual themes. Dusti, influenced by transcendental and Buddhist concepts, often referenced such concepts abstractly in her art, or at times in the works’ titles, or in her short poems. If the above work had a title, we don’t know it. But perhaps a concept like the void, or the infinite unknown, is reflected in this composition. The presence of the central, dark, mostly solid, trapezoid nonetheless allows glimpses through to a lighter realm beyond. Dusti here inverts the typical foreground-background principles of light and dark. With a few powerful strokes she creates an unexpected sense of depth, both visually and metaphorically. https://hyperallergic.com/746498/the-biggest-lie-about-abstract-expressionism/ https://huxleyparlour.com/exhibitions/women-and-the-void-abstract-expressionism-on-paper/ Have you seen this work? Do you or someone you know have this work in their collection? If so, we would love to hear from you. We are continually working to maintain as complete a record as possible, and to determine the location of all of Dusti Bongé's work. If you have information on this, or other works, you can contact us at
[email protected] We appreciate receiving any referrals to the existence and whereabouts of artworks by Dusti Bongé. Thank you. Available in our store: The definitive volume on artist Dusti Bongé, by J. Richard Gruber Dusti Bongé, Art and Life: Biloxi, New Orleans, New York Hard bound, 12” x 9”, 350 pages, over 500 color and b&w illustrations Limited edition lithographs of two original Dusti Bongé drawings. Shrimp Boats & Factories, Back Bay Biloxi I and Shrimp Boats & Factories, Back Bay Biloxi II 12” x 16” drawing, 15” x 22” paper size https://www.dustibonge.org/store.html support us Our mission: to promote the artistic legacy of Dusti Bongé (1903-1993)
