The spring exhibition presents the work of Henri Laurens (1885–1954), one of the major sculptors of the 20th century. He belonged to the group of Cubists around Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso. Later, Laurens moved away from Cubist constructive forms and ended up working with ample volumes that swelled into space. After 1932 several “daughters of the waves” crop up in his œuvre, paving the way for a series of sea creatures which clearly reveal the artist´s perfect understanding of how to combine volume, material and motion in a sculptural expression.

“Henri Laurens – Daughters of the Waves” (March, 1, to June, 16, 2019) at the Kunsthalle Mannheim places the accent on Laurens’s late works, alongside which it shows complementary graphic works and book illustrations. The exhibition at Mannheim is generously supported by the H.W. & J. Hector Stiftung.

The exhibition is accompanied by a bilingual catalog, published by the Wienand Verlag in December – with contributions by Arie Hartog, Elisabeth Lebon, Christa Lichtenstern, Anne-Sophie Pieper and Veronika Wiegartz (146 pages, 130 colored illustrations, hardcover, German / English, price: 29.80 € , ISBN 978-3-86832-483-9).

Henri Laurens – Daughters of the Waves
March, 1, to June, 16, 2019
Opening: Februar, 28, 2019, 7 p.m.
In cooperation with the Gerhard-Marcks-Haus, Bremen.