White Cube is honored to present a solo exhibition featuring the works of the late American artist Lynne Drexler. This exhibition marks the first major presentation of Drexler’s art in Europe and her debut exhibition with the gallery since the representation of The Lynne Drexler Archive was officially announced. A subsequent solo exhibition is planned for White Cube Hong Kong, which will be the first-ever presentation of Drexler’s work in Asia.
The exhibition, titled ‘Lynne Drexler: The Sixties,’ showcases never-before-seen works from the Archive. It includes vibrantly colored paintings, collages, and works on paper created between 1959 and 1969. This significant period in Drexler’s career highlights key developments in her artistic practice, particularly the introduction of her distinctive swatch-like brushstrokes and her utilization of geometric forms.
Lynne Drexler was born in 1928 near Newport News, Virginia, and was associated with the second generation of Abstract Expressionists. Her work was visibly influenced by Impressionism, Fauvism, and Pointillism, art movements that simultaneously reflected her deep appreciation for classical music and nature.
Like many female artists of the post-war era, Drexler’s contributions were often overshadowed by her male contemporaries and peers, only now being reintegrated into the broader narrative of art history. Despite studying under notable figures such as Hans Hofmann and Robert Motherwell, she remained on the margins of the art world while her husband, the painter John Hultberg, achieved a comparable level of success and recognition.
After two extended stays in Europe during the early 1950s, Drexler made the crucial decision to relocate to New York City in 1955. There, she became actively involved in the city’s vibrant and intellectually stimulating art scene. Over the next decade, she produced outstanding works of art that explored color, form, and spatial tension.
By the mid- to late-1960s, as the popularity of Abstract Expressionism waned, Drexler’s work evolved into a distinctive, lyrical style of abstract painting. This evolution was heavily inspired by the landscape surrounding her summer home on Monhegan Island, off the coast of Maine.
Following her separation from Hultberg in 1983, Drexler permanently settled on Monhegan Island. Her artwork began to increasingly incorporate elements of the rugged coastal scenery. Although she remained largely undiscovered by the broader art world, Drexler gained local recognition in the final two decades of her life by exhibiting in galleries around her home and the nearby mainland.
‘Lynne Drexler: The Sixties’ pays tribute to the enduring legacy of an artist who, despite the shifting tides of the art world, never wavered in her commitment to creation. The exhibition is on display at White Cube Mason’s Yard, London, from November 27, 2024, until January 10, 2025. The subsequent exhibition at White Cube Hong Kong is scheduled to open in March 2025.
Lynne Drexler.
The Sixties.
November 27, 2024 – January 10, 2025.
White Cube Mason’s Yard, London.
