Case Study

The idea of asking Gemma Smith to select works from the Margo Lewers collection came when I encountered Smith's powerful paintings and sculptures in the tradition of rigorous abstraction. I was struck by compelling crossovers in the two practices: in their painting, both artists explored lyrical and hard edge abstraction, and both practices are distinguished by ambitious sculptures in plexiglass/acrylic. I very much wanted to see the works of Margo Lewers in 'conversation' with the...
More Description

The idea of asking Gemma Smith to select works from the Margo Lewers collection came when I encountered Smith's powerful paintings and sculptures in the tradition of rigorous abstraction. I was struck by compelling crossovers in the two practices: in their painting, both artists explored lyrical and hard edge abstraction, and both practices are distinguished by ambitious sculptures in plexiglass/acrylic. I very much wanted to see the works of Margo Lewers in 'conversation' with the works of Gemma Smith.After more than eighteen months of collection visits, reflections and deliberations, Gemma Smith and I are very pleased to present Case Study. Rather than a survey of either artist's work, this exhibition is a very focussed selection. It will be years before Smith can match the forty-three year exhibition history of Lewers so Case Study features paintings and sculptures produced by her in the past six years. In contrast to the representation of Smith's work, we decided on a 'book-end' selection of Margo Lewers' crisper abstractions, beginning with her early forays into geometric abstract painting in the 1950s, and concentrating on the late works in plexiglass, textile and collage. Case Study has reinvigorated ways of seeing the work of Margo Lewers.Anne LoxleyOctober 2011