Thaddaeus Ropac Paris Pantin is set to open an exciting new exhibition titled “Expanded Horizons: American Art in the 70s”, running from September 21, 2024, to January 25, 2025. This exhibition brings together works from 21 influential American artists, highlighting the radical artistic transformations of the 1970s, a period marked by social and political upheaval.
The exhibition explores how artists of the time pushed the boundaries of traditional art, responding to major movements such as the Vietnam War protests and the Civil Rights movement. Notable works include Robert Rauschenberg’s monumental piece “Bank Job” (1979) and James Rosenquist’s immersive installation “Horizon Home Sweet Home”, both reflecting a shift toward large-scale, three-dimensional art that invites deep viewer engagement.
The feminist art movement is also strongly represented by artists like Judy Chicago and Joan Snyder. Chicago’s pyrotechnic performances and Snyder’s experimental use of materials, as seen in “Vanishing Theatre/The Cut” (1974), demonstrate how personal narrative and materiality intertwined during this era. The exhibition further explores the work of Robert Morris and Donald Judd, who focused on the relationship between form and material, exemplified by Morris’s “Untitled (Brown Felt)” and Judd’s minimal sculptural creations.
“Expanded Horizons” not only showcases a key historical period in American art but also invites visitors to reflect on how the innovations of the 1970s continue to influence contemporary art practices today.
