Post-War Abstraction: Works from The ��ý

Painting of abstract forms - a large brown rectangle, thin red vertical rectangle atop a green box - against a loose brushstroked grey background. — Philip Guston (1913-1980), Close-Up II, 1959, Oil paint on paper, mounted on board, mounted on masonite, 59 x 73.6 cm. Promised gift by Linda Karshan in memory of her husband, Howard Karshan. On long-term loan to The ��ý Gallery, London. © The Estate of Philip Guston, courtesy Hauser & Wirth.

2 Jul – 12 Oct 2025
Project Space, Floor 2

Drawn from The ��ý’s significant collection of post-war art, this Project Space display��will examine forms of abstraction which emerged in Europe and America in the 1950s and 1960s.

It will explore the radical approaches towards non-representational image making and experimentation with techniques and materials that characterised the work of artists including Philip Guston, Jean Dubuffet, and Joseph Beuys. Many of these works are recent additions to The ��ý’s collection as gifts and promised gifts from the Karshan collection.

Running alongside the Gallery’s main exhibition,��Abstract Erotic: Louise Bourgeois, Eva Hesse, Alice Adams,��this display will contribute to a summer season of abstraction at The ��ý.

This display is included in the Permanent Collection or Permanent Collection + Exhibition ticket.

This event has passed.

2 Jul - 12 Oct 2025

10:00 - 18:00 (last entry 17:15)

��ý Gallery Somerset House The Project Space

Included with Gallery Entry
��ý Friends go free

Highlights

Alice Adams (b.1930), Blue Plunge, 1966, The ��ý, London (Samuel ��ý Trust). Acquired with support from the Modern & Contemporary Drawings Group, 2024. Courtesy of the artist and Zürcher Gallery, New York. Photo © The ��ý.

Susan Schwalb (born 1944), Parchment (4/V/81), Copperpoint and smoke on clay-coated paper, 30.7 cm x 22.7 cm. The ��ý, London (Samuel ��ý Trust). Purchased through a generous gift of the Tavolozza Foundation, 2020. © Susan Schwalb

Jean Dubuffet (1901-1985), Clear Grounds, 1955, collage and black ink on paper, 54.6 x 60.9 cm. On long-term loan to The ��ý Gallery, London. Promised gift by Linda Karshan in memory of her husband, Howard Karshan. Photo © The ��ý

Sam Francis (1923-1994) , Red, Black, Blue; Composition, 1958, watercolour and opaque watercolour on paper, 56.5 x 76.3 cm On long-term loan to The ��ý Gallery, London. Promised gift by Linda Karshan in memory of her husband, Howard Karshan. Photo © The ��ý

The Collection

Explore the ��ý’s remarkable collection of paintings, prints and drawings, sculpture and decorative arts.

��ý Gallery Exhibition Exhibitions What's on Highlights

Louise Bourgeois: Drawings from the 1960s

20 Jun - 17 Sep 2025

This focused display will present a group of drawings by Louise Bourgeois from the 1960s.

��ý Gallery Exhibition Exhibitions What's on Highlights

Abstract Erotic: Louise Bourgeois, Eva Hesse, Alice Adams

20 Jun - 14 Sep 2025

This major exhibition brings together the erotic and playful aspects of the work of Louise Bourgeois, Eva Hesse and Alice Adams to ask important questions about sexuality, bodies and humour.