Mosaic is Light: Work by Jeanne Reynal, 1940 - 1970
January 28th - April 10th, 2021
Mosaic is Light: Work by Jeanne Reynal, 1940 - 1970
This major retrospective is the first opportunity to fully examine Reynal’s significant contribution to post-World War II American art. On view will be work from the early 1940s to 1970, including works on loan from the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Sculpture Garden.
Jeanne Reynal (1903 – 1983) was a mosaicist, and a first-generation New York School artist. She challenged expectations of the medium by creating, as she described, “a new art of mosaic, a contemporary and fresh look for this ancient medium.” Her work was largely abstract, and she was dedicated to the ways in which hand-cut stones and glass tiles, set on a bias, could reflect and create light across a surface. She applied tesserae (the tiles, stone, and shells she used to construct her mosaics) in loose formations, to a ground of pigmented cement. Her work was often subtle and painterly.
Jeanne Reynal | Blue Window | 1953 | smalti, marble and pigmented cement on board | 58 1/8h x 48w x 1d in
Reynal would begin directly, without preparatory designs, and elaborately re-work her surfaces by removing tesserae and re-applying thin layers of cement.
“These surfaces, so appealing to the tactile sense, carried the eye on a fantastic journey through planetary landscapes punctuated by crusty routes of closely-grouped obsidian, and soft, misty hills of pulverized mineral matter. In these compositions the artist approached the freedom of the easel painter.” - Dore Ashton
Jeanne Reynal | Now is Winter | 1951 | smalti, marble and pigmented cement on board | 47 1/4h x 55 1/2w x 1d in
Jeanne Reynal (1903-1993)
Untitled, 1963
smalti, Japanese shell, and poured glass on pigmented cement and steel
27 1/4h x 26 1/2w x 1 1/4d in
69.22h x 67.31w x 3.18d cm
JREY084
Jeanne Reynal (1903-1993)
Untitled, 1963
smalti, marble, Japanese shell, pigmented cement and steel
17h x 38 1/2w x 1 1/8d in
43.18h x 97.79w x 2.86d cm
JREY085
Jeanne Reynal (1903-1993)
Now is Winter, 1951
smalti, marble and pigmented cement on board
47 1/4h x 55 1/2w x 1d in
120.02h x 140.97w x 2.54d cm
JREY006
Jeanne Reynal (1903-1993)
Equation #2, 1940
mosaic tesserae in concrete
23h x 20w x 3/4d in
58.42h x 50.80w x 1.91d cm
JREY032
Jeanne Reynal (1903-1993)
Untitled, 1945
smalti and pigmented plaster on board
24h x 18w x 1d in
60.96h x 45.72w x 2.54d cm
JREY081
Jeanne Reynal (1903-1993)
Blue Window, 1953
smalti, marble and pigmented cement on board
58 1/8h x 48w x 1d in
147.64h x 121.92w x 2.54d cm
JREY009
Jeanne Reynal (1903-1993)
Icarus Returned, 1951
smalti, marble and pigmented cement on board
52h x 48w x 1d in
132.08h x 121.92w x 2.54d cm
JREY036
Jeanne Reynal (1903-1993)
Ogo, 1952-1953
smalti, marble, sulphur and pigmented cement on board
52h x 59 3/4w in
132.08h x 151.77w cm
JREY069
Jeanne Reynal (1903-1993)
The Stallion Oat, 1952
smalti, marble and pigmented cement on board
52 3/4h x 48 1/4w x 1 1/2d in
133.99h x 122.56w x 3.81d cm
JREY011
Jeanne Reynal (1903-1993)
The Hours and Their Birds, 1955
smalti, marble, and pigmented cement on board
47 3/4h x 48w x 3/4d in
121.29h x 121.92w x 1.91d cm
JREY119
Jeanne Reynal (1903-1993)
Rain Shadow, 1959
smalti, dyed Japanese shell and pigmented cement
66h x 56 1/4w x 3/4d in
167.64h x 142.88w x 1.91d cm
JREY122
Jeanne Reynal (1903-1993)
Reincarnation Lullabies (three panels), 1959
smalti, Japanese shell and pigmented cement
57 1/2h x 57 1/2w x 3/4d in
146.05h x 146.05w x 1.91d cm
JREY124
Jeanne Reynal (1903-1993)
Untitled, 1959
smalti and semi-precious stones, including obsidian, amethyst, and tourmaline, on pigmented cement
60h x 40w x 1d in
152.40h x 101.60w x 2.54d cm
JREY037
Jeanne Reynal (1903-1993)
Amarillo, 1960
smalti and dyed Japanese shell on pigmented cement
72h x 60w in
182.88h x 152.40w cm
JREY041
Jeanne Reynal (1903-1993)
Young Woman, 1970
mosaic tesserae, concrete and steel
82h x 4 1/2w x 10d in
208.28h x 11.43w x 25.40d cm
JREY074
Jeanne Reynal (1903-1993)
Lovers, 1970
mosaic tesserae, Japanese shell, concrete and steel
76h x 7w x 3d in
193.04h x 17.78w x 7.62d cm
JREY075
Jeanne Reynal (1903-1993)
The Pangolin, 1971
mosaic tesserae, Japanese shell, concrete and steel
121 1/2h x 5w x 15d in
308.61h x 12.70w x 38.10d cm
JREY077
Jeanne Reynal (1903-1993)
Untitled, 1970
mosaic tesserae, mother-of-pearl, Japanese shell, concrete and steel
101 1/2h x 5w x 6 1/2d in
257.81h x 12.70w x 16.51d cm
JREY076
Jeanne Reynal (1903-1993)
Woman Clothed With Son, 1970
mosaic tesserae, obsidian, concrete and steel
114h x 7 1/2w x 15d in
289.56h x 19.05w x 38.10d cm
JREY078
Jeanne Reynal (1903-1993)
Africa: King and Queen, 1970
mosaic tesserae, Japanese shell, concrete and steel
116h x 9 1/2w x 6d in
294.64h x 24.13w x 15.24d cm
JREY079
Jeanne Reynal (1903-1993)
Two Rivers, 1970
mosaic tesserae, mother-of-pearl, Japanese shell, concrete and steel
111h x 11w x 5 1/2d in
281.94h x 27.94w x 13.97d cm
JREY080
Jeanne Reynal (1903-1993)
Untitled, 1963
smalti, Japanese shell, hand-formed cement and steel
29h x 39 3/4w x 3/4d in
73.66h x 100.97w x 1.91d cm
JREY082
Jeanne Reynal (1903-1993)
Untitled, 1963
smalti, Japanese shell, hand-formed cement and steel
27h x 27w in
68.58h x 68.58w cm
JREY132
Jeanne Reynal (1903-1993)
African Village, 1969-70
mosaic tesserae, horn, mother-of-pearl, concrete and steel
79 1/2h x 19 1/4w x 9 1/2d in
201.93h x 48.90w x 24.13d cm
JREY063
Jeanne Reynal (1903-1993)
Songs of the Tewa, 1959
smalti and dyed Japanese shell on pigmented cement
82h x 81w x 2 1/2d in
208.28h x 205.74w x 6.35d cm
JREY099
Jeanne Reynal (1903-1993)
Mother and Children Between Sun and Moon, 1966
smalti and Japanese shell on pigmented cement
48h x 60 3/4w x 2 1/8d in
121.92h x 154.31w x 5.40d cm
JREY058
Jeanne Reynal (1903-1993)
Winter Count, 1963
smalti, mother-of-pearl, obsidian and pigmented cement on wood
77h x 40 1/2w in
195.58h x 102.87w cm
JREY004
Jeanne Reynal and Isamu Noguchi
Mosaic by Jeanne Reynal on a Table by Isamu Noguchi, 1943
magnesite, paint, mosaic tesserae
13 1/4h x 48w x 35 3/4d in
33.66h x 121.92w x 90.81d cm
JNO001
Jeanne Reynal (1903-1993)
Young Friends, 1949
smalti and semi-precious stones in cement on wood
19 3/4h x 15w x 1 7/8d in
50.17h x 38.10w x 4.76d cm
JREY024
1941 Solo Exhibition at SFMOMA | Installation Photograph
Reynal was the subject of three solo exhibitions at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art: the first in 1941. At this time, Reynal developed a relationship with the first director of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Grace McCann Morley. Reynal introduced Morley to the work of Pollock, and counseled her on other artists emerging in New York, such as Arshile Gorky: profoundly impacting the course of acquisitions and exhibitions at the museum.
Collaborative mosaic topped tables made by Jeanne Reynal and Isamu Noguchi
During her California years, Reynal also developed a lifelong friendship with Isamu Noguchi who had enrolled, voluntarily, in an internment camp to aid other Japanese-Americans. She collaborated with Noguchi on several mosaics for tables of his design. The exhibition includes a 1942 table on loan from the Noguchi Foundation.
Photo of Reynal and her husband, Thomas Sills working in her studio, 1965
Reynal was associated with the Surrealists - many of whom were living in exile in the U.S. Her 1950s work utilizes the biomorphic shapes associated with the intersection of Surrealism and early Abstract Expressionist painting. Reynal’s work was part of the seminal 1947 exhibition “Bloodflames” —designed by Frederick Kiesler and presented at the Hugo Gallery — alongside Wifredo Lam, Roberto Matta, Arshile Gorky, David Hare, and others.
In 1946, Reynal moved to New York City, where she would live and work for the rest of her career. In 1953, she married Thomas Sills, a largely self-taught African American painter, who went on to have a significant career. It was in this period that Reynal began exhibiting with Betty Parsons Gallery. She also began working with shaped surfaces: diamond, octagonal, and circular structures.
1965 SFMOMA Travelling Solo Exhibition | Installation Photograph
Mosaic Is Light, Installation Photograph | Eric Firestone Gallery
1971 Solo Exhibition at Betty Parsons Gallery, Installation Photograph
Reynal was an extensive traveler, and was influenced by indigenous art across the world. In the late 1960s, Reynal began making totem sculptures. These monumental, freestanding sculptural works, some of which are over 10 feet tall, were originally exhibited at Betty Parsons and at the Art Association of Newport, Rhode Island. A large group of these works is on view in this exhibition.
1971 Betty Parsons Gallery, Solo Exhibition Annoucment
Reynal’s work can be found in numerous institutional collections throughout the country, including the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Whitney Museum of American Art; the Noguchi Foundation and Sculpture Garden; the Menil Collection, Houston, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The estate of Jeanne Reynal is exclusivly represented by Eric Firestone Gallery.
New York, New York. Iolas Gallery. “Jeanne Reynal ,” 1951