Etel Adnan
— The Arts Club, London 16 September 2019 — 18 January 2020

Language is at the heart of artist and writer Etel Adnan’s practice, both in her work as a poet, novelist and playwright, as well as in her visual prose in paint, textile and ink. Traversing these artistic terrains parallels the geographical transitions made throughout her life, from Beirut, to Paris and to the hills of California. Melding pure abstraction with traces of place, Adnan often applies paint to canvas with a palette knife, creating distinctive masses of colour that recall both discernible landscapes and memories from her life as well as imagined forms brimming with light. 

Born in Beirut in 1925, Adnan moved to France to study at the Sorbonne, and later to the United States to first study at UC Berkeley and Harvard before going on to teach. Her writings have often referenced her protest against conflicts – among them the Vietnam War, the Algerian War and the Lebanese Civil War. She refers to her paintings, however, as a reflection of her immense love for the world. In her own words, “I write what I see, I paint what I am.” 

This exhibition presents textile works as well as a selection of prints, ink drawings and paintings. 

Etel Adnan (b.1925) is an award-winning Lebanese-American multimedia artist who graduated from the Sorbonne, Paris, and pursued postgraduate studies in philosophy at U.C Berkeley and Harvard. Adnan’s works have been exhibited globally, including solo exhibitions at SFMOMA, San Francisco (2018), Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris (2016), the Serpentine Galleries, London (2016) and the Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin (2015). Her works are held in international collections including The British Museum, London; Centre Pompidou, Paris; Museum of Modern Art, New York; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; and National Museum for Women in the Arts, Washington D.C. 

Adnan participated in Documenta 13 in Germany (2012) and in the Whitney Biennial (2014). Adnan was awarded the Ordre de Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres, France’s highest cultural achievement in 2014.

This exhibition is curated by Amelie von Wedel and Pernilla Holmes of Wedel Art. Etel Adnan is represented by Galerie Lelong & Co.