11/04/2010

Anni Albers


Sometimes even the most seasoned Londoners feel a little corrosion of the soul. I've been trying to counter the effects recently by using the city a little better, as an outsider perhaps. So, for starters, I've been visiting more shows with less discrimination, and already I'm tired of having my dearly held preconceptions challenged!

There's little in Anni Albers' (1899–1994) collection of Prints and Studies that suggests her muted geometry or the craft of weaving. Instead we're treated to a trailblazing selection of styles from out-and-out op-art to a neurotic brand of pointillism. Many of the gouaches, etchings and lithographs explore tessellation and play with colour so deftly that its occasional absence is stronger still; even gold escapes its usual function as shorthand for chintz.

Anni Albers, Prints & Studies, until 17 April 2010
Alan Cristea Gallery, 31 Cork Street, London W1S 3NU

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