Art Art Edited by Zach Long
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Rutschbahn (Slide), 1923 A 19, 1927 Back to the future A new retrospective dedicated to László
Moholy-Nagy celebrates the forward-looking art of the one-time Chicago resident. By Zach Long
NEW YORK LAYS claim to the iconic oil paintings of Edward Hopper, while Paris identifies with the impressionistic renderings of Claude Monet. Chicago, however, lacks a globally recognized name synonymous with the city. The latest exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago makes the case for László Moholy- Nagy (1895–1946), casting his innovative paintings, sculptures and photographs as a testament to the creative influence of his adopted home. The Hungarian-born artist is the subject of “Future Present,” the first large-scale exhibition of Moholy-Nagy’s work in the U.S.
in nearly 50 years. A multimedia artist before the term was coined, Moholy-Nagy was a masterful dabbler, constantly working in new disciplines. The exhibit brings together 315 of his works, including abstract paintings, black-and-white photos, and brochures from his days as a freelance commercial designer in Germany. Special attention is given to the
work Moholy-Nagy completed while living in Chicago, where he began creating complex sculptures using wire and Plexiglas. Other works are more directly inspired by the city, like a series of slides that depict the abstract trails of headlights
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on Lake Shore Drive and a sobering drawing that places a “nuclear bubble” atop a grid of Chicago streets. “Future Present” also addresses the legacy of the New Bauhaus—the design school Moholy-Nagy founded in Chicago—with a display of student work and writings the artist completed during his tenure. “The school became his magnum opus,” says the exhibit’s curator, Matthew Witkovsky. “He demonstrated the creativity it takes to run an educational institution.” At the center of the exhibition is an installation called The Room of the Present, a prophetic combination of film and slide projections set around a rotating
WHY GO? The innovative artworks of Moholy- Nagy haven’t been exhibited in the U.S. in nearly 50 years—don’t miss your chance to see them.
The Art Institute of Chicago, Oct 2–Jan 3
Photograph (Self-Portrait with Hand), 1925/29
metal sculpture. It’s a piece that was never fully realized during Moholy-Nagy’s lifetime; the version on display was completed by a duo of German historian-engineers who interpreted the artist’s plans. A visionary streak runs through “Future Present,” which showcases Moholy-Nagy’s openness to new experiences, from working with cutting-edge materials to running a school. “Moholy-Nagy gave license to experiment,” says Witkovsky. “He demanded it of his students and readers of his books and essays.” Filled with some of the artist’s best works, this exhibit should inspire its viewers to be similarly adventurous.
September–November 2016 Time Out Chicago
PHOTOGRAPHS: COURTESY HATTULA MOHOLY-NAGY/VG BILD-KUNST, BONN/ARTISTS RIGHTS SOCIETY (ARS), NEW YORK
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