Exhibition view: Larry Bell, Works from the 1970s Installation view, Hauser & Wirth Monaco © Larry Bell - Photo: Nicolas Brasseur.

Larry Bell, Works from the 1970s at Hauser & Wirth Monaco

“Larry Bell once remarked, ‘My work is more about the experience of seeing than it is about the objects themselves.’ This sentiment perfectly encapsulates the immersive nature of his exhibition at Hauser & Wirth in Monaco.

Upon entering Larry Bell’s exhibition ‘Works from the 1970s,’ Visitors are immediately struck by the monumental presence of his freestanding glass walls. These architecturally scaled works dominate and transform the space, creating an atmosphere that is both ethereal and rooted in a rigorous minimalist aesthetic. The exhibition’s setup is a triumph of minimalism and architectural precision, designed to highlight the unique qualities of Bell’s glass sculptures.

The large installations are placed on simple white carpets, creating a stark contrast with the gallery’s wooden floor and allowing the works to emerge in their transparent magnificence. The glass walls, juxtaposed at angles and in zig-zag formations, form geometric configurations that invite visitors to move through the space, exploring the works from various perspectives.

Each glass panel captures and reflects light differently, creating a complex play of shadows and reflections that transform the perception of space. The mural ‘Moving Ways’ in the background adds a visual depth, with its black forms contrasting the transparency of the glass sculptures. This setup not only enhances the aesthetic qualities of Bell’s works but also emphasizes their dialogue with space and light, offering an immersive and contemplative experience for visitors.

Bell’s works from this period highlight his historical contribution to a severely reduced aesthetic and how his work engages not just the viewer’s gaze but also their perceiving body. Bell’s ’embodied phenomenology,’ a characteristic associated with minimalism, is clearly visible.

A distinctive element of the exhibition is the intelligent use of natural and artificial light interacting with the glass sculptures. Strategically positioned glass panels capture light from the gallery’s large windows and ceiling spotlights, creating a dance of reflections and transparencies that change throughout the day. This play of light and shadow accentuates the transparency and delicacy of the materials, inviting visitors to observe the works from different angles, discovering new details and nuances with each step.

The open, airy gallery space allows visitors to move freely around the works, offering a 360-degree view that enhances the three-dimensionality and complexity of the sculptures. The carefully calibrated arrangement and lighting transform the exhibition experience into a sensory and immersive journey.

The exhibition also features a recent work, ‘The Blue Gate’ (2021), installed outdoors in the adjacent Jardins des Boulingrins. This piece, composed of glass panels in amethyst purple and peacock blue, showcases the evolution of Bell’s practice. The more complex forms and use of color demonstrate how Bell continues to explore the potentials of glass and light.

This exhibition provides a rare opportunity to see museum-quality works from significant Italian collections, such as the Panza Collection. Among these is ‘Untitled’ (1970), presented in Bell’s solo exhibition in Rome in 1974, marking a turning point in his career from metal-framed cubes to free-standing glass panels.

Bell’s technique, using a vacuum coating system to deposit thin metallic films on glass surfaces, was developed starting in 1969. Initially used for aeronautics, this process was adopted by the artist to create a highly original body of work. In his ‘vapor drawings’ of 1978, Bell adapted this process to apply aluminum on black paper, controlling the density of the metallic coating to vary degrees of transparency and opacity.