Sotto Voce - Lévy Gorvy
  • Sotto Voce

  • Sotto Voce

  • Sotto Voce

  • Sotto Voce

  • Sotto Voce

  • Sotto Voce

  • Sotto Voce

  • Sotto Voce

  • Sotto Voce

  • Sotto Voce

  • Sotto Voce

Sotto VoceExhibitions

London
February 9 - April 18, 2015

Sotto Voce

Dominique Lévy Gallery is pleased to present Sotto Voce, the second show at its London space. This exhibition will connect artists from around the world, united by a common medium: the abstract white relief. From the earliest unfoldings of figuration by Henri Laurens produced in Paris to the harmonious constructions of the Brazilian Sergio Camargo, Sotto Voce will map the progression of the abstract white relief geographically and through time, with a focus on the 1930s to 1970s.

Alongside Laurens and Camargo, the exhibition will feature works by Jean Arp, Ben Nicholson, Lucio Fontana, Piero Manzoni, Enrico Castellani, Fausto Melotti, Günther Uecker, Luis Tomasello, and Mira Schendel, amongst others. While the white palette may give the works a soft voice, their messages are loud and clear, whether they may be a cry of hope, an attempt at nothingness, an expression of aesthetic idealism, or a surge towards transcendence. Sotto Voce will demonstrate how this subtle yet forceful dialogue was carried out internationally through the language of the white relief by artists at the forefront of their respective movements, ranging from Surrealism to the Zero Group, Spatialism to Minimalism, and Conceptual Art to Constructivism.

Sotto Voce will be accompanied by a catalogue featuring an essay by Dr. James Fox of Cambridge University, who specialises in the cultural history of colour. Among numerous media appearances, in 2013 he presented the acclaimed BBC series ‘A History of Art in Three Colours,’ which dedicated an episode to white.

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Selected Works

  • Image of Jean Arp's work Composition schématique

    JEAN ARP
    Composition schématique
    1943
    Marble
    9 1/4 x 11 3/4 inches (23.6 x 29.7 cm)
    © DACS 2015

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  • Yves Klein

    Yves Klein
    Untitled Blue Monochrome (IKB 231)
    1959
    Dry pigment and synthetic resin on linen mounted on panel
    11 5/8 x 25 5/8 x 1 1/4 inches (29.5 x 65 x 3.2 cm)

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  • BEN NICHOLSON

    BEN NICHOLSON
    1936 (white relief)
    1936
    Oil on carved mahogany on plywood (in artist's frame)
    26 x 33 inches (66 x 83.8 cm)
    © Angela Verren Taunt 2014. All rights reserved, DACS.

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  • GUNTHER UECKER

    GUNTHER UECKER
    Untitled
    1967
    Painted nails and canvas on board
    17 x 17 inches (43 x 43 cm)
    © Günther Uecker. All rights reserved. DACS 2015

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  • POL BURY

    POL BURY
    Erectile
    1959
    Iron wire and latex paint on masonite and electrical motor
    35 3/4 x 35 3/4 x 3 1/2 inches (91 x 91 x 8.4 cm)
    © ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2015

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  • SERGIO CAMARGO

    SERGIO CAMARGO
    Untitled (502A)
    1979
    Marble
    31 7/8 x 15 3/4 x 3 1/8 inches (81 x 40 x 8 cm)
    © Galeria Raquel Arnaud - Estate of Sergio Camargo

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  • SERGIO CAMARGO

    SERGIO CAMARGO
    Untitled (504)
    1970
    Marble (Unique)
    65 x 7 1/6 x 7 1/6 inches (165 x 18 x 18 cm)
    © Galeria Raquel Arnaud - Estate of Sergio Camargo

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  • ENRICO CASTELLANI

    ENRICO CASTELLANI
    Superficie bianca
    1978
    Acrylic on canvas
    31 1/2 x 31 1/2 inches (80 x 80 cm)
    © DACS 2015

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  • DADAMAINO

    DADAMAINO
    Volume
    1959
    Tempera on canvas
    39 1/3 x 23 1/2 inches (100 x 59 cm)
    © Archivio Dadamaino, Somma Lombardo, Italy

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  • LUCIO FONTANA

    LUCIO FONTANA
    Concetto spaziale
    1964
    Oil on canvas
    18 1/8 x 15 inches (46 x 38 cm)
    © Lucio Fontana/SIAE/DACS, London 2014

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  • LUCIO FONTANA

    LUCIO FONTANA
    Concetto spaziale, Teatrino
    1966
    Waterpaint on canvas with lacquered wood
    43 1/4 x 43 1/4 inches (110 x 110 cm)
    © Lucio Fontana/SIAE/DACS, London 2014

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  • PIERO MANZONI

    PIERO MANZONI
    Achrome
    1958
    Kaolin on canvas
    15 3/4 x 11 3/4 inches (40 x 29.8 cm)
    © DACS 2015

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  • PIERO MANZONI

    PIERO MANZONI
    Achrome
    1958-1959
    Kaolin on canvas
    24 1/2 x 30 inches (61.5 x 76 cm)
    © DACS 2015

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  • PIERO MANZONI

    PIERO MANZONI
    Achrome
    1962-1963
    Painted polystyrene balls and kaolin on canvas
    27 5/8 x 19 3/4 inches (70 x 50 cm)
    © DACS 2015

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  • FAUSTO MELOTTI

    FAUSTO MELOTTI
    La famiglia del boscaiolo
    1979
    Plaster
    7 7/8 x 24 1/2 x 1 1/4 inches (20 x 62 x 3 cm)
    © Milano, Fondazione Fausto Melotti

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  • ASCANIO MMM

    ASCANIO MMM
    Relevo Quadrados 23
    1968-2006
    Painted wood
    40 1/4 x 40 1/4 x 5 1/8 inches (102 x 102 x 13 cm)
    © Artelier Ascanio MMM

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  • LOUISE NEVELSON

    LOUISE NEVELSON
    Dawn's Wedding Feast, Column V (Dawn's Column V)
    1959
    Painted wood
    98 x 8 x 7 1/2 inches (248.9 x 20.3 x 19.1 cm)
    © ARS, NY and DACS, London 2015

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  • Nicholson

    BEN NICHOLSON
    1971 (Obidos, Portugual 1)
    1971
    Oil on carved board
    39 3/8 x 48 7/8 inches (100 x 124 cm)
    © Angela Verren Taunt 2014. All rights reserved, DACS

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  • MIRA SCHENDEL

    MIRA SCHENDEL
    Untitled (XII)
    1986
    Tempera, acrylic, gesso, and oil on board
    35 1/2 x 70 7/8 inches (90 x 180 cm)
    © Mira Schendel Estate

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  • LOLO SOLDEVILLA

    LOLO SOLDEVILLA
    Composicio Concreta
    1955
    Acrylic on wood construction mounted on masonite
    18 1/4 x 36 1/4 inches (46.5 x 92 cm)

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  • ETTORE SPALLETTI

    ETTORE SPALLETTI
    Untitled
    1974
    Colour impasto on board
    59 x 43 1/4 inches (150 x 110 cm)
    © DACS 2015

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  • LUIS TOMASELLO
    Atmosphere Chromoplastique No. 120
    1964
    Painted wood and metal
    25 5/8 x 25 5/8 inches (65 x 65 cm)
    © DACS 2015

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  • GUNTHER UECKER

    GUNTHER UECKER
    Wind
    2009
    Oil on nails and canvas mounted on board, diptych
    Each panel: 59 x 47 1/4 inches (150 x 120 cm)
    © Günther Uecker. All rights reserved. DACS 2015

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  • ALBERTO BURRI

    ALBERTO BURRI
    Combustione CP 9
    1964
    Plastic, acrylic, vinavil, and combustion on cellotex
    19 7/8 x 14 inches (50 x 35.5 cm)
    Photo © Giorgio Colombo, Milano
    Courtesy Piero Tomassoni
    © DACS 2015

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Video

'Sotto Voce' at Dominique Lévy London

April 1, 2015

February 9 - April 18, 2015
Dominique Lévy Gallery is pleased to present Sotto Voce, the second show at its London space. This exhibition will connect artists from around the world, united by a common medium: the abstract white relief. From the earliest unfoldings of figuration by Henri Laurens produced in Paris to the harmonious constructions of the Brazilian Sergio Camargo, Sotto Voce will map the progression of the abstract white relief geographically and through time, with a focus on the 1930s to 1970s.

Selected Press

Huffington Post | Sotto Voce: The Best Art Show in London Today

March 12, 2015

At some era, different artists from different parts of the globe seem to be working on the same wavelength, …

Il Sole 24 Ore | Italiani nel mondo: ogetto di speculazioni o sottovalutati?

February 21, 2015

Nel novembre 2013 Christie’s Milano segnava un record per Paolo Scheggi vendendo una sua opera a 57.500 …

The Arts Desk | Sotto Voce, Dominique Lévy

February 14, 2015

Sotto Voce is a collection of white paintings, sculptures and reliefs made by European, British and North …

Apollo Magazine | Pure abstraction: ‘Sotto Voce’ and the appeal of the abstract white relief

February 10, 2015

‘Abstract white relief’ is not an easy term to get your head around. It can sound highly technical, …

TimeOut London | Sotto Voce

February 10, 2015

Everything’s all white in this group show of big names including Jean Arp, Ben Nicholson, Lucio Fontana …

Financial Times | Sotto Voce

February 8, 2015

Do abstract white reliefs really speak quietly, or do they shout about hope or nihilism, perfect symmetry …

Architectural Digest | Abstract White Reliefs are the Subject of a London Gallery Show

January 31, 2015

The abstract white relief, as envisioned by artists from diverse locations, generations, and affiliations, …

Aesthetica | Sotto Voce, Dominique Lévy Gallery, London

January 9, 2015

The second show at Dominique Lévy’s new London space will map the progression of the abstract white …

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