LONDON.- Lisson Gallery announced representation of the Carolee Schneemann Foundation in collaboration with P·P·O·W, New York. Carolee Schneemann (1939–2019), one of the most provocative and inspiring artists of the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, created work over six decades across various artistic media: experimental painting, sculptural assemblages and kinetic works, performance in which she used her own body as a medium, lyrical films and immersive multi-media installations. Schneemann remains an important source of reference for contemporary artists today, as her works addressed urgent topics from sexual expression and the objectification of women, to political narratives and the suffering of war. Her work has been exhibited internationally, including at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Museum der Moderne Salzburg in Salzburg and the Barbican in London, which presented Carolee Schneemann: Body Politics in 2022–2023, the first major survey of Schneemann’s work in the UK.
Lisson Gallery previously exhibited Schneemann’s work in Controlled Burnings: Hiller, Latham, Schneemann, New York, 2023, titled after a series of box constructions in which Schneemann used fire as a transformative material. Lisson will represent Schneemann globally, and the gallery’s first solo exhibition of Schneemann’s work will open in Los Angeles in Spring 2025, the artist’s first solo show in the city. The Carolee Schneemann Foundation will soft launch a residency program in the summer of 2025 at Schneemann’s home in upstate New York to support artists and writers who share her commitment to aesthetic experimentation. This news also follows the continuing partnership between the Carolee Schneemann Foundation and Stanford University Libraries which recently announced the digitization of six decades of the artist’s diaries; released in three rounds, Schneemann’s 1951–1978 diaries are now available on the libraries’ website.
Alex Logsdail, CEO of Lisson Gallery:It’s thrilling to be announcing the representation of such an important artistic figure. There are many longstanding connections between Schneemann and Lisson that we will explore into the future, and as such it feels a very natural fit. I was deeply struck by the show at the Barbican, which for me entirely recontextualized her work, and highlighted the role of painting in her expansive, experimental oeuvre. For such a radical figure, being rooted in something so elemental only reinforced her importance.
Rachel Churner, Director of the Carolee Schneemann Foundation: We are honored to be working with Lisson Gallery. Their almost-60-year history of rigorous programming and their international scope will enable us to amplify the reach of Schneemann's radical experiments in painting, film, and performance and share her artworks with broader audiences around the world.
Sara Vance Waddell, Board President of the Carolee Schneemann Foundation: For an artist-endowed foundation, this is an ideal collaboration, allowing us to maintain the longstanding relationship with P·P·O·W while opening exciting new opportunities and perspectives through Lisson Gallery.
