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MARIA HELENA VIEIRA DA SILVA: In Collaboration with Jeanne Bucher Jaeger, Paris & Waddington Custot, London

Past viewing_room
April 2 - September 30, 2020
  • Maria Helena Vieira da Silva celebrates the dynamic range of the Portuguese-born modernist painter's body of work. A key member...

    Maria Helena Vieira da Silva in her studio at rue de l'Abbé-Carton in Paris. Courtesy Galerie Jeanne Bucher Jaeger, Paris ©Wölbing-Van Dyck, Bielefeld et Ida Kar

    Maria Helena Vieira da Silva celebrates the dynamic range of the Portuguese-born modernist painter's body of work. A key member of the post-war avant-garde in Paris, Vieira da Silva is known for intricate paintings that reflect her remarkable sense of rhythm and pattern. Historically, scholars have approached her work through the lens of artiste informelle, tachiste, or International Abstract Expressionism. This exhibition looks beyond these categorizations to address Vieira da Silva's personal use of gestural and formal abstraction to construct pictorial spaces that are at once familiar and unknown. Organized in a first-ever international collaboration with Jeanne Bucher Jaeger, Paris, and Waddington Custot, London, Maria Helena Vieira da Silva unites a vibrant selection of works from private collections and foundations in Europe and the United States in the first exhibition dedicated to the artist in New York since 1971. 


    We are honored to present 
    Maria Helena Vieira da Silva as Di Donna's inaugural online viewing room, while the physical exhibition at our gallery has been postponed due to the current health crisis. We look forward to welcoming you to our New York gallery in the not-too-distant future. Until then, we invite you to explore this rare presentation of Vieira da Silva's compelling painting practice as a testimony to her uniquely layered approach to representation and lasting influence on subsequent generations of artists.

     

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  • THE EXHIBITION

    Vieira da Silva Installation Image 1 (View more details about this item in a popup).
    Vieira da Silva Installation Image 2 (View more details about this item in a popup).
    Vieira da Silva Installation Image 3 (View more details about this item in a popup).
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    Vieira da Silva Installation Image 7 (View more details about this item in a popup).
    Vieira da Silva Installation Image 7 (View more details about this item in a popup).
    Vieira da Silva Installation Image 8 (View more details about this item in a popup).
    Vieira da Silva Installation Image 9 (View more details about this item in a popup).
    Vieira da Silva Installation Image 10 (View more details about this item in a popup).
    (View more details about this item in a popup).
    • Maria Helena Vieira da Silva Le Jeu de cartes, 1937 Signed 'vieira da silva' and dated '37' (lower left) Oil and pencil on canvas 72.9 by 92.2 cm (28¾ by 36¼ in.)
      Maria Helena Vieira da Silva
      Le Jeu de cartes, 1937
      Signed 'vieira da silva' and dated '37' (lower left)
      Oil and pencil on canvas
      72.9 by 92.2 cm (28¾ by 36¼ in.)
    • Maria Helena Vieira da Silva Lisbonne, 1940/1952 Signed 'Vieira da Silva', dated '40' and inscribed 'Rio' (lower left) Gouache on cardboard 41.4 by 48.3 cm (16¼ by 19⅛ in.)
      Maria Helena Vieira da Silva
      Lisbonne, 1940/1952
      Signed 'Vieira da Silva', dated '40' and inscribed 'Rio' (lower left)
      Gouache on cardboard
      41.4 by 48.3 cm (16¼ by 19⅛ in.)
    • Maria Helena Vieira da Silva Les Joueurs de cartes, 1947–48 Signed 'Vieira da Silva' and dated '47' (lower right) Oil on canvas 81 by 100 cm (31⅞ by 39⅜ in.)
      Maria Helena Vieira da Silva
      Les Joueurs de cartes, 1947–48
      Signed 'Vieira da Silva' and dated '47' (lower right)
      Oil on canvas
      81 by 100 cm (31⅞ by 39⅜ in.)
    • Maria Helena Vieira da Silva Figure de ballet, 1948 Signed 'da Silva' and dated '48' (lower right) Oil and pencil on canvas 27 by 46 cm (10⅝ by 18⅛ in.)
      Maria Helena Vieira da Silva
      Figure de ballet, 1948
      Signed 'da Silva' and dated '48' (lower right)
      Oil and pencil on canvas
      27 by 46 cm (10⅝ by 18⅛ in.)
    • Maria Helena Vieira da Silva Le Palais des glaces, c. 1948 Stamped 'Vieira da Silva' (lower right) Oil on canvas 38.2 by 46.3 cm (15⅛ by 18¼ in.)
      Maria Helena Vieira da Silva
      Le Palais des glaces, c. 1948
      Stamped 'Vieira da Silva' (lower right)
      Oil on canvas
      38.2 by 46.3 cm (15⅛ by 18¼ in.)
    • Maria Helena Vieira da Silva Composition aux damiers bleus, 1949 Signed 'Vieira da Silva' and dated '49' (lower right) Gouache on paper 49.6 by 65 cm (19½ by 25⅝ in.)
      Maria Helena Vieira da Silva
      Composition aux damiers bleus, 1949
      Signed 'Vieira da Silva' and dated '49' (lower right)
      Gouache on paper
      49.6 by 65 cm (19½ by 25⅝ in.)
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  • Composition aux damiers bleus (detail), 1949
    Composition aux damiers bleus (detail), 1949

    "PERSPECTIVE FASCINATES ME. NOT SCIENTIFIC PERSPECTIVE, BUT THE KIND THAT IS FOUND, MADE OF RHYTHM, OF MUSIC."

    • Maria Helena Vieira da Silva Normandie, 1949 Signed 'Vieira da Silva' and dated '49' (lower right) Gouache on canvas 40 by 47 cm (15¾ by 18½ in.)
      Maria Helena Vieira da Silva
      Normandie, 1949
      Signed 'Vieira da Silva' and dated '49' (lower right)
      Gouache on canvas
      40 by 47 cm (15¾ by 18½ in.)
    • Maria Helena Vieira da Silva Sans titre, 1949 Signed 'Vieira da Silva' and dated '49' (lower left) Oil on canvas 64.5 by 81 cm (25⅜ by 31⅞ in.)
      Maria Helena Vieira da Silva
      Sans titre, 1949
      Signed 'Vieira da Silva' and dated '49' (lower left)
      Oil on canvas
      64.5 by 81 cm (25⅜ by 31⅞ in.)
    • Maria Helena Vieira da Silva La Garde des anges, 1950 Signed 'Vieira da Silva' and dated '1950' (lower right) Oil on canvas 60.5 by 92.3 cm (23⅞ by 36⅜ in.)
      Maria Helena Vieira da Silva
      La Garde des anges, 1950
      Signed 'Vieira da Silva' and dated '1950' (lower right)
      Oil on canvas
      60.5 by 92.3 cm (23⅞ by 36⅜ in.)
    • Maria Helena Vieira da Silva Gris Corot, 1950 Signed 'Vieira da Silva' and dated '1950' (lower right) Oil on canvas 53.5 by 81 cm (21⅛ by 31⅞ in.)
      Maria Helena Vieira da Silva
      Gris Corot, 1950
      Signed 'Vieira da Silva' and dated '1950' (lower right)
      Oil on canvas
      53.5 by 81 cm (21⅛ by 31⅞ in.)
    • Maria Helena Vieira da Silva La Ville nocturne (Les Lumières de la ville), 1950 Signed 'Vieira da Silva' and dated '50' (lower right) Oil on canvas 81 by 100 cm (31⅞ by 39⅜ in.)
      Maria Helena Vieira da Silva
      La Ville nocturne (Les Lumières de la ville), 1950
      Signed 'Vieira da Silva' and dated '50' (lower right)
      Oil on canvas
      81 by 100 cm (31⅞ by 39⅜ in.)
    • Maria Helena Vieira da Silva Bibliothèque, 1952 Signed 'Viera da Silva' and dated '52' (lower right) Oil on canvas 72.4 by 91.4 cm (28½ by 36 in.)
      Maria Helena Vieira da Silva
      Bibliothèque, 1952
      Signed 'Viera da Silva' and dated '52' (lower right)
      Oil on canvas
      72.4 by 91.4 cm (28½ by 36 in.)
    • Maria Helena Vieira da Silva Sans titre, 1952 Signed 'Vieira da Silva' (lower right) Oil on canvas 53.6 by 72 cm (21⅛ by 28⅜ in.)
      Maria Helena Vieira da Silva
      Sans titre, 1952
      Signed 'Vieira da Silva' (lower right)
      Oil on canvas
      53.6 by 72 cm (21⅛ by 28⅜ in.)
    • Maria Helena Vieira da Silva Sans titre, 1952 Signed 'Vieira da Silva' and dated (lower right) Oil on canvas 97 by 130 cm (38¼ by 51⅛ in.)
      Maria Helena Vieira da Silva
      Sans titre, 1952
      Signed 'Vieira da Silva' and dated (lower right)
      Oil on canvas
      97 by 130 cm (38¼ by 51⅛ in.)
    • Maria Helena Vieira da Silva La Ville tentaculaire, 1954 Signed 'Vieira da Silva' (lower right) Oil on canvas 65 by 92 cm (25⅝ by 36¼ in.)
      Maria Helena Vieira da Silva
      La Ville tentaculaire, 1954
      Signed 'Vieira da Silva' (lower right)
      Oil on canvas
      65 by 92 cm (25⅝ by 36¼ in.)
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    • Maria Helena Vieira da Silva, Sans titre, 1955
      Maria Helena Vieira da Silva, Sans titre, 1955
    • Maria Helena Vieira da Silva Structure dynamique, 1956 Signed 'Vieira da Silva' and dated '56' (lower left) Oil on canvas 59.8 by 73.1 cm (23½ by 28¾ in.)
      Maria Helena Vieira da Silva
      Structure dynamique, 1956
      Signed 'Vieira da Silva' and dated '56' (lower left)
      Oil on canvas
      59.8 by 73.1 cm (23½ by 28¾ in.)
    • Maria Helena Vieira da Silva L'Eau, 1962 Signed 'Vieira da Silva' and dated '62' (lower right) Tempera on paper 66.2 by 50.7 cm (26⅛ by 20 in.)
      Maria Helena Vieira da Silva
      L'Eau, 1962
      Signed 'Vieira da Silva' and dated '62' (lower right)
      Tempera on paper
      66.2 by 50.7 cm (26⅛ by 20 in.)
    • Maria Helena Vieira da Silva Le Chemin, 1963 Signed 'Vieira da Silva' and dated '63' (lower right) Watercolor on paper 99.2 by 61.2 cm (39⅛ by 24⅛ in.)
      Maria Helena Vieira da Silva
      Le Chemin, 1963
      Signed 'Vieira da Silva' and dated '63' (lower right)
      Watercolor on paper
      99.2 by 61.2 cm (39⅛ by 24⅛ in.)
    • Maria Helena Vieira da Silva Red Houses, 1963 Signed 'Vieira da Silva' and dated '63' (lower right) Tempera on canvas laid down on canvas 39.6 by 56.4 cm (15⅝ by 22¼ in.)
      Maria Helena Vieira da Silva
      Red Houses, 1963
      Signed 'Vieira da Silva' and dated '63' (lower right)
      Tempera on canvas laid down on canvas
      39.6 by 56.4 cm (15⅝ by 22¼ in.)
    • Maria Helena Vieira da Silva Mémoire, 1966–67 Signed 'Vieira da Silva' and dated (lower right) Oil on canvas 114 by 146.9 cm (44⅞ by 57⅞ in.)
      Maria Helena Vieira da Silva
      Mémoire, 1966–67
      Signed 'Vieira da Silva' and dated (lower right)
      Oil on canvas
      114 by 146.9 cm (44⅞ by 57⅞ in.)
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  • Le Jardin d’ipomée (detail), c. 1974
    Le Jardin d’ipomée (detail), c. 1974

    "When I paint a landscape...It's a thought form rather than a realistic form." 

    • Maria Helena Vieira da Silva Artémis, 1968 Signed 'Vieira da Silva' and dated '68' (lower right) Oil on canvas 38 by 55 cm (15 by 21⅝ in.)
      Maria Helena Vieira da Silva
      Artémis, 1968
      Signed 'Vieira da Silva' and dated '68' (lower right)
      Oil on canvas
      38 by 55 cm (15 by 21⅝ in.)
    • Maria Helena Vieira da Silva Les Irrésolutions résolues VII, 1969 Signed 'Vieira da Silva' and dated '69' (lower right) Oil and charcoal on prepared canvas 195 by 97 cm (76¾ by 38¼ in.)
      Maria Helena Vieira da Silva
      Les Irrésolutions résolues VII, 1969
      Signed 'Vieira da Silva' and dated '69' (lower right)
      Oil and charcoal on prepared canvas
      195 by 97 cm (76¾ by 38¼ in.)
    • Maria Helena Vieira da Silva Le Chœur, 1971 Signed 'Vieira da Silva' and dated '1971' (lower right) Tempera on paper 30.5 by 28.5 cm (12⅛ by 11¼ in.)
      Maria Helena Vieira da Silva
      Le Chœur, 1971
      Signed 'Vieira da Silva' and dated '1971' (lower right)
      Tempera on paper
      30.5 by 28.5 cm (12⅛ by 11¼ in.)
    • Maria Helena Vieira da Silva Cosí fan tutte, 1971 Signed 'Vieira' (lower left), signed 'Vieira da Silva' and dated '71' (lower right) Watercolor, tempera and China ink on paper 58.5 by 39.7 cm (23⅛ by 15⅝ in.)
      Maria Helena Vieira da Silva
      Cosí fan tutte, 1971
      Signed 'Vieira' (lower left), signed 'Vieira da Silva' and dated '71' (lower right)
      Watercolor, tempera and China ink on paper
      58.5 by 39.7 cm (23⅛ by 15⅝ in.)
    • Maria Helena Vieira da Silva Le Jardin d’ipomée, c. 1974 Stamped 'Viera' (lower left) Tempera on handmade paper 30 by 33 cm (11¾ by 13 in.)
      Maria Helena Vieira da Silva
      Le Jardin d’ipomée, c. 1974
      Stamped 'Viera' (lower left)
      Tempera on handmade paper
      30 by 33 cm (11¾ by 13 in.)
    • Maria Helena Vieira da Silva Perspectives, 1981 Signed 'Vieira da Silva' and dated '81' (lower right) Oil on prepared kraft paper laid down on canvas 47 by 141.1 cm (18½ by 55½ in.)
      Maria Helena Vieira da Silva
      Perspectives, 1981
      Signed 'Vieira da Silva' and dated '81' (lower right)
      Oil on prepared kraft paper laid down on canvas
      47 by 141.1 cm (18½ by 55½ in.)
    • Maria Helena Vieira da Silva Chemins de la paix, 1985 Signed 'Vieira da Silva' and dated '85' (lower right) Oil on canvas 72.6 by 100 cm (28⅝ by 39⅜ in.)
      Maria Helena Vieira da Silva
      Chemins de la paix, 1985
      Signed 'Vieira da Silva' and dated '85' (lower right)
      Oil on canvas
      72.6 by 100 cm (28⅝ by 39⅜ in.)
    • Maria Helena Vieira da Silva Impression passagère, 1991 Signed 'Vieira da Silva' and dated '1991' (lower right) Tempera on paper 57.5 by 121.3 cm (22⅝ by 47¾ in.)
      Maria Helena Vieira da Silva
      Impression passagère, 1991
      Signed 'Vieira da Silva' and dated '1991' (lower right)
      Tempera on paper
      57.5 by 121.3 cm (22⅝ by 47¾ in.)
    • Maria Helena Vieira da Silva Vers la lumière, 1991 Stamped 'Vieira da Silva' (lower right) Oil on canvas 116 by 72.6 cm (45⅝ by 28⅝ in.)
      Maria Helena Vieira da Silva
      Vers la lumière, 1991
      Stamped 'Vieira da Silva' (lower right)
      Oil on canvas
      116 by 72.6 cm (45⅝ by 28⅝ in.)
    Close
  • MARIA HELENA VIEIRA DA SILVA, (b. 1908, Lisbon; d. 1992, Paris)

    MARIA HELENA VIEIRA DA SILVA

    (b. 1908, Lisbon; d. 1992, Paris)

    Maria Helena Vieira da Silva (b. 1908, Lisbon, Portugal; d. 1992, Paris, France) enrolled at the Academia Nacional de Belas Artes, Lisbon, in 1919 to study drawing with Emilia Santos Braga. She moved to Paris from Lisbon in 1928 to study sculpture under Antoine Bourdelle and Charles Despiau at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière. There she met her future husband, Hungarian painter Árpád Szenes, and in 1929 gave up sculpture for painting. Living in Paris, she absorbed a variety of influences, from the geometric abstraction of the group Cercle et Carré (Circle and Square, 1929-33) and Joaquín Torres-García, to avant-garde Cubism. Vieira da Silva began to paint rectangular patches of color to recall the Hispano-Arabic Azulejo tiles, undulating cobbled pavements and tiered architecture of Lisbon. In 1933, Vieira da Silva had her first solo exhibition at Galerie Jeanne Bucher, Paris; the gallery remained her main dealer throughout her career.

     

    After the war, Vieira da Silva's paintings echoed the realities of post-war Europe. Works from this period reflect the flooded and razed cities, claustrophobic corridors and altered landscapes after the unprecedented violence. Vieira da Silva became a French citizen in 1956 and was awarded the Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 1962. In 1966, she was the first woman to receive the French Grand Prix Nationale des Arts.

  • Throughout Vieira da Silva's career, major institutions have recognized her as an important figure within the modernist canon. In 1937,...

    Throughout Vieira da Silva's career, major institutions have recognized her as an important figure within the modernist canon. In 1937, Hilla Rebay acquired Composition (1936) for the collection of the future Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York. In 1954, Dance (1938) entered the collection of The Museum of Modern Art, New York, following its inclusion in the museum's group show XXVth Anniversary. The French State acquired several of her paintings during the course of her career, three of which hang in the Musée National d'Art Moderne, Paris. Vieira da Silva's work is held in other distinguished collections throughout the world, including San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, The Art Institute of Chicago, Tate, London; Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; and Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam. Retrospectives of Vieira da Silva's work have been mounted at Kestner Gesellschaft, Hannover, in 1958, traveling to Kunsthalle Bremen, and the Kunst- und Museumsverein Wuppertal; Musée de Grenoble, France, in 1964; Museo Civico, Turin, in 1964; Musée national d'art moderne, Paris, in 1969-70; Musée Fabre, Montpellier, France, in 1971; Musée d'art moderne de la Ville de Paris, in 1977; Gulbenkian Museum, Lisbon, in 1988, traveling to Grand Palais, Paris; and Fundación Juan March, Madrid, in 1991. Important exhibitions were presented at Fundação Árpád Szenes - Vieira da Silva, Lisbon in 2015, and at Musée d'Art moderne de Céret, in 2016. In 1994, Guy Weelen and Jean-François Jaeger's two volume catalogue raisonné and monograph of Vieira da Silva's work was published by Skira.

     

    Above left: Maria Helena Vieira da Silva in Rio de Janeiro. Courtesy Galerie Jeanne Bucher Jaeger, Paris © All rights reserved

    Above right: Maria Helena Vieira da Silva painting Mémoire, in her studio by Yèvre le Châtel, Loiret, 1966. Courtesy Galerie Jeanne Bucher Jaeger, Paris © Ursa Zangger

  • VIEIRA DA SILVA IN MAJOR INSTITUTIONAL COLLECTIONS

    Works by Vieira da Silva are held by leading institutions worldwide, including the Musée National d’Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; The Museum of Modern Art, New York; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. We invite you to explore a selection of works from museum collections here.
    Maria Helena Vieira da Silva, Untitled, 1953 (View more details about this item in a popup).
    Maria Helena Vieira da Silva, La Grande Fugue, 1954 (View more details about this item in a popup).
    Maria Helena Vieira da Silva, Rotterdam, 1956 (View more details about this item in a popup).
    Maria Helena Vieira da Silva, Aix-en-Provence, 1958 (View more details about this item in a popup).
    Maria Helena Vieira da Silva, La bibliothèque, 1966 (View more details about this item in a popup).
    Maria Helena Vieira da Silva, Composition, 1936-37 (View more details about this item in a popup).
    Maria Helena Vieira da Silva, Dance, 1938 (View more details about this item in a popup).
    Maria Helena Vieira da Silva, La Partie d'échecs, 1943 (View more details about this item in a popup).
    Maria Helena Vieira da Silva, La Bataille des couteaux, 1948 (View more details about this item in a popup).
    Maria Helena Vieira da Silva, The Corridor, 1950 (View more details about this item in a popup).
    Maria Helena Vieira da Silva, The City, 1950-51 (View more details about this item in a popup).
    Maria Helena Vieira da Silva, Le Promeneur invisible, 1951 (View more details about this item in a popup).
    Maria Helena Vieira da Silva, La Chapelle gothique, 1951 (View more details about this item in a popup).
    Maria Helena Vieira da Silva, Le Port, 1953 (View more details about this item in a popup).

    Maria Helena Vieira da Silva. Untitled. 1953. Oil on burlap, 76.5 by 125.1 cm (30⅛ by 49¼ in.)

    Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York

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+1 212 259 0444

 

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