Improvisations at the Phoenix Art Museum celebrates the six-decade career of American artist Larry Bell, showcasing his iconic glass sculptures, mixed-media collages, and newly commissioned works. The exhibition offers an immersive experience into Bell’s exploration of light, surface, and reflection.
Curated by Rachel Sadvary Zebro, the exhibition showcases Bell’s striking work, from pristine glass cubes to dynamic large-scale installations. His vision is demonstrated by blurring the lines between art and its surroundings, bridging the boundaries of material and environment.
Bell, born in Chicago in 1939, played a significant role in the California Light and Space movement alongside notable figures like James Turrell and Robert Irwin. He started painting because he was influenced by Abstract Expressionists like Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning.
He switched to sculpture in his thirties, and created a distinctive vacuum deposition method that enabled him to apply thin layers of metal and minerals on materials like paper, glass, and Mylar. This technique served as the cornerstone of his work, allowing him to control how light interacts with surfaces.
Improvisations features Bell’s early works, including his iconic glass cubes from the 1960s. These minimalist sculptures rest on transparent pedestals, appearing almost weightless as they refract and reflect light.
The show also delves into Bell’s mixed-media works, such as his Fractions series, created from salvaged fragments, and large-scale triptychs like Austin, the swirling metallics of which recall natural phenomena. These pieces, alongside his Vapor Drawings on glass and handmade paper, reveal Bell’s improvisational process, blending intuition with technical mastery.
Over the decades, Bell expanded his repertoire. He created immersive installations like Porch Piece (2024), a laminated glass sculpture that shifts perceptions as viewers move around it. Nearby, his ethereal Light Knots, suspended from the ceiling, evoke dancing clouds of aluminum- and silicon-coated polyester film, embodying his playful engagement with light and air.
The central gallery in the show features small-scale maquettes alongside monumental works like The Cat, an 8-foot-tall smoked-glass piece that invites viewers to interact with their reflections.
Ultimately, Bell’s work defies categorization within a single art movement. His work is timeless, a blend of minimalist aesthetics and dynamic interaction with light and surface. The exhibition offers a comprehensive and immersive exploration of Bell’s legacy, a tribute to an artist whose inventive energy and imagination continue to shape contemporary art.
