Fifty years after her last exhibition in France and three decades following her death, Louise Nevelson returns to the European stage with Mrs. N’s Palace, the first retrospective of this magnitude devoted to the artist on the continent. Opening at the Centre Pompidou-Metz, the exhibition celebrates a figure whose influence continues to ripple through contemporary art. It is a rare opportunity to immerse oneself in a visionary universe, where sculpture transcends objecthood to become a total and enveloping experience.
The significance of this exhibition cannot be overstated. The largest European retrospective devoted to the work; it offers a rare opportunity to trace the arc of a career from early terracotta sculptures to monumental installations. Curator Anne Horvath has orchestrated an experience that foregrounds interdisciplinary impulses, situating the work at the intersection of sculpture, performance and ritual. Visitors encounter early prints alongside environmental installations, monumental “walls” alongside intimate works inspired by dance and spirituality, all within a narrative emphasising a pioneering role in the emergence of installation art.
More than a retrospective, Mrs. N’s Palace invites visitors into the mind of an artist whose influence extends far beyond the gallery. Found objects become sacred, architecture becomes theatre, and sculpture becomes lived experience. The exhibition demonstrates that mastery of form and space went hand in hand with visionary thinking, insights that continue to inform contemporary debates around materiality, performance and gender. Monumental palaces of wood and shadow carve a space for the imaginative.