Architects of Being: Louise Nevelson and Esphyr Slobodkina Opens at Chrysler Museum of Art February 20, 2026

Louise Nevelson (American, born Russia (now Ukraine), 1899 – 1988), Dawn’s Presence, 1972-1975, Painted wood, Chrysler Museum of Art, Gift of Walter P. Chrysler Jr., 77.1241

NORFOLK, Va.– The Chrysler Museum of Art is proud to present Architects of Being: Louise Nevelson and Esphyr Slobodkina, a groundbreaking exhibition showcasing works by two pioneering female artists on view from February 19–May 31, 2026. Chrysler Museum members enjoy a first look at the exhibition on February 18, while free access to the exhibition and select programming is available during the exhibition’s run.

Architects of Being: Louise Nevelson and Esphyr Slobodkina is organized by the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts (AMFA), the first art museum to present works by Nevelson and Slobodkina in direct dialogue. This pairing sheds new light on a significant period in art history when America was hesitant to embrace the rise of abstract art.

The exhibition’s title celebrates the architectural spirits of Nevelson and Slobodkina, both Eastern European Jewish immigrants working in mid-century New York. As they constructed their identities within a male-dominated American art world, Nevelson and Slobodkina developed distinctly personal visual languages. While Nevelson is known primarily as a sculptor and Slobodkina as a painter, both explored cubism, surrealism, and constructivism, with assemblage as an essential unifying theme throughout their careers.

The exhibition presents Nevelson’s monumental sculptures, such as Tide Garden IV, a signature artwork in the AMFA Foundation Collection, built from architectural fragments and found materials, alongside Slobodkina’s abstract paintings, including Levitator Abstraction, and mixed-media works featuring a range of materials, from office supplies to dressmaking materials. This unprecedented pairing demonstrates how both artists transformed their artistic visions into powerful statements of identity.

“These two formidable women led parallel lives, and while they individually challenged conventions in both art and life, they had an uncanny way of arriving at similar creative outcomes,” shares Dr. Catherine Walworth, the Jackye and Curtis Finch Jr. Curator of Drawings at AMFA. “With its playfully unexpected media, this exhibition shows that Nevelson and Slobodkina’s art definitely belongs in conversation.”

Architects of Being is the result of more than five years of development, bringing together sculptures, paintings, collages, jewelry, and rarely seen personal artifacts. The exhibition features significant loans from major institutions, galleries, and private collections nationwide, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. The exhibition at the Chrysler Museum will include two artworks from collectors in the Hampton Roads community, Night Zag VI, and a mini-assemblage necklace, both works by Louise Nevelson. In addition to the Chrysler Museum’s own Dawn’s Presence sculpture, the Norfolk presentation celebrates the community’s long support of Nevelson and brings attention to the lesser-known Slobodkina.

Dr. Walworth is the visionary behind this exhibition and also served as editor for an accompanying catalog featuring new research and original scholarship on each artist. Working closely with both the Louise Nevelson Foundation and the Slobodkina Foundation, Dr. Walworth combed through the artists’ wardrobes and selected items like Slobodkina’s Striped Evening Muumuu and Nevelson’s English Hunt Cap for inclusion in the exhibition. Together with sculptures and paintings, these personal effects comprise the 77 unique objects on display.

Dr. Chelsea Pierce, McKinnon Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Chrysler Museum, is overseeing the installation at the Museum. Pierce also contributed to the exhibition’s catalog, published by the University of Arkansas Press, and available for purchase in the Chrysler Museum Shop.

“The Chrysler Museum is honored to partner in this landmark exhibition celebrating two pioneering women artists,” says Pierce. “Nevelson and Slobodkina transformed modern art through invention and perseverance, becoming important contributors to the development of abstraction in the United States.”

Following its debut at AMFA, the exhibition travels to the Chrysler Museum in Norfolk, Virginia, and then the New Britain Museum of American Art in Connecticut in 2026.

Architects of Being: Louise Nevelson and Esphyr Slobodkina is organized by the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts and supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, Alan DuBois Fund for Contemporary Craft, and Ellsworth Kelly Foundation.

ABOUT THE CHRYSLER MUSEUM OF ART

The Chrysler Museum of Art brings art and people together through experiences that delight, inform, and inspire. Internationally recognized for its collection of more than 35,000 objects, including one the largest glass collections in America, the Museum also includes free admission, the state-of-the-art Perry Glass Studio, a full-service restaurant, shop, theater, works on paper space, and oversees the historic Myers House. The Museum boasts an ambitious schedule of exhibitions, events, and programs, and has been nationally recognized for its commitment to inclusion through its innovative gallery host program. For more information, visit chrysler.org. Follow on social media @ChryslerMuseum to receive the latest updates.

ABOUT THE ARKANSAS MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS

Founded in 1937, the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts is the largest cultural institution of its kind in the state, offering a unique blend of visual and performing arts experiences. AMFA is committed to featuring diverse media and artistic perspectives within its permanent collection as well as through rotating temporary exhibitions. AMFA’s international collection spans eight centuries, with strengths in works on paper and contemporary craft, and includes notable holdings by artists from Arkansas, the South, and across the United States and Europe.

With a vibrant mix of ideas, cultures, people, and places, AMFA extends this commitment to diversity through the innovative Windgate Art School, a dynamic children’s theatre and performing arts program, and community-focused educational programs for all ages. Located in Little Rock’s oldest urban green space, MacArthur Park, AMFA’s landmark building and grounds are designed by Studio Gang and SCAPE, in collaboration with Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects.

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