Guggenheim shows to champion Maria Helena Vieira da Silva, who still 'needs to be rediscovered by many audiences'

The upcoming exhibition, "Anatomy of Space," at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice aims to re-establish the legacy of Portuguese painter Maria Helena Vieira da Silva, whose works blend abstraction with figuration. The exhibition features approximately 70 pieces that chronologically showcase her artistic evolution influenced by movements like Cubism and Futurism. Curator Flavia Frigeri emphasizes the importance of her themes to modern audiences and reflects on her life's experiences, including her student years in Paris and her exile during World War II, which shaped her artistic direction.

"There's so much about what she's doing and the themes that she's exploring that are still relevant to us now," says curator Flavia Frigeri.

"That soft spot where abstraction meets figuration is something she does very cleverly... even though she knew she didn't want to be a figurative artist, it somehow lingered with her."

The exhibition will highlight the impact of her student years in Paris and her traumatic exile with her husband during the Second World War.

The exhibition comprises around 70 works from public and private lenders around the world, taking a broadly chronological view of Vieira da Silva's evolving visual language.

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