Towards Abstraction and Beyond: Becoming Gustav Metzger: Uncovering The Early Years, 1945-59

Towards Abstraction and Beyond is the fourth and final instalment in a series of exhibitions designed to showcase the breadth of Gustav Metzger’s early work, as he moved towards the development of the radical Auto-Destructive practice for which he is better known. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Metzger began to introduce new methods and materials, successfully experimenting with painting using a palette knife, and on alternative, often found materials, including cardboard, Kodak boxes, reinforced plastic and sheets of mild steel collected in London. Featuring 27 such works, in addition to earlier, increasingly abstract studies, and an enigmatic series of works executed on pages cut from a London phone book, this exhibition completes the artist’s highly exploratory journey, not only from figuration to abstraction, but also towards becoming the Gustav Metzger of later fame.