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Liza Lou’s New “Paintings” Surprise With Thousands of Beads

09.26.24 | By
Liza Lou’s New “Paintings” Surprise With Thousands of Beads

Artist Liza Lou’s new exhibition Painting at Lehmann Maupin Gallery in New York debuts 12 new works made from tens of thousands of colorful glass beads that resemble brushstrokes. It’s a color and texture surprise that offers more intrigue the closer you view – a hybrid between paint and pixels, light and extreme physicality. Inspired by her experience viewing paint through a microscope, Liza Lou again pushes her signature material into fresh and unexpected possibilities.

Square abstract painting on beige background.

Liza Lou, Gravity’s Rainbow, 2024 \\\ Courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York, Seoul, and London

The edge of a painting made from thousands of beads

Liza Lou, Gravity’s Rainbow, 2024 (detail)

For over three decades, Liza Lou has shocked and dazzled the contemporary art world with her room-sized installations of glass beads. Her full-sized hyper-color Kitchen (1991-1996) for example, took five years to construct with millions of beads and drew crowds (again) at a recent exhibition at the Whitney Museum. And just last week, the Brooklyn Museum installed her 40-foot Trailer (1998-2000) in their entry pavilion – inviting viewers to peer, one at a time, into a real 1949 mobile home with an eerie and unbelievable fully-beaded interior.

Artwork made from thousands of beads with blue brushstrokes.

Liza Lou, Idyl, 2024 \\\ Courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York, Seoul, and London

Green, Blue and Yellow beads of various sizes resemble brushstrokes

Liza Lou, Idyl, 2024 (detail)

Lou again pushes into new ground in her current work – where beads become oversized pigment particles. Rather than the well-ordered mosaic-like beads of Kitchen however, these beads pile and clump into coral-like 3D pixels. All were constructed in solitude at her studio in the Mojave Desert. (See her studio in Joshua Tree below!)

Abstract painting of dense brushstrokes made from beads

Liza Lou, Denoument, 2024 \\\ Courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York, Seoul, and London

Each work here was also composed intuitively – one brushstroke at a time – resulting in works that may reference art historical echos, but also exist as great abstract paintings in their own right. At moments you forget the beads and just enjoy great compositions and expression.

Thousands of beads resemble brushstrokes and paint drips.

Liza Lou, Denoument, 2024 (detail)

The surface of a canvas covered in colorful bead

Liza Lou, Denoument, 2024 (detail)

But this unique material also produces some effects that I’ve never seen in paint – especially as you get closer. The best moments are when “brushstrokes” overlap. The beads, unable to blend like wet paint or fully cover the layer beneath, break into a joyous chaos of intense color particles in the most dense areas.

Vertical artwork made from white an red beads.

Liza Lou, Falling Action, 2024 \\\ Courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York, Seoul, and London

White brushstroke over thousands of red beads

Liza Lou, Falling Action, 2024 (detail)

Falling Action 2024 (above) is a stand-out, with a sewn white beaded background that resembles canvas and a few brushstrokes of “real paint” that camouflage with the beads as they skip across the surface.

Abstract painting in green, blue and red made from beads.

Liza Lou, Epitaph, 2024 \\\ Courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York, Seoul, and London

Thousands of blue, red and green beads in highly textural clumps.

Liza Lou, Epitaph, 2024 (detail)

Painting with blue and yellow dense brushstrokes.

Liza Lou, Octave, 2024 \\\ Courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York, Seoul, and London

Though I can’t wait to see one of these juxtaposed with other paintings in a museum, it is exceptionally special to see all 12 in one space – an accumulation that exceeds any one work. A visit to the gallery this fall is highly recommended.

Man admires 3 paintings in gallery.

Installation of Liza Lou “Painting” at Lehmann Maupin Gallery New York, 2024

Two colorful abstract artworks on gallery wall.

Installation of Liza Lou “Painting” at Lehmann Maupin Gallery New York, 2024

Gallery with several colorful paintings.

Installation of Liza Lou “Painting” at Lehmann Maupin Gallery New York, 2024

Artist sits on window frame in studio.

Portrait of Liza Lou, 2024 \\\ Courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York, Seoul, and London \\\ Photo: Mick Haggerty.

And as bonus, I highly recommend combining your gallery visit with a trip to the Brooklyn Museum to see Trailer. Created over 20 years apart with the same material, the works could not be more visually different and both become more complex, mysterious, and rich when seen together.

What: Liza Lou: Painting
Where: Lehmann Maupin Gallery, 501 W 24th St, New York, NY
When: September 5 – October 12, 2024 

Bonus:  Liza Lou’s Trailer (1998-2000) on view at The Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Parkway, New York. (Check website for hours).

All artwork and installation images courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York, Seoul, and London. Detail images photographed by author David Behringer for Design Milk.

David Behringer visits over 200 galleries every month to uncover and share the most exciting contemporary art in New York today. Subscribe to his exclusive weekly newsletter at www.thetwopercent.com and learn about his private gallery tours. And be sure to check out his YouTube.