Mavis Pusey: Mobile Images
- –
Mavis Pusey: Mobile Images marks the first major museum survey dedicated to the work and life of Jamaican-born artist Mavis Pusey (1928–2019), featuring over 60 artworks from her prolific 50-year career. An important figure in geometric abstraction, Pusey created rich abstract paintings and works on paper that reflect her wide-ranging engagement with fashion, printmaking, and the urban environment of cities in which she lived. Despite her international presence in the art world, Pusey’s work has largely remained overlooked. This comprehensive retrospective is the culmination of over a decade of research and collaboration and offers an expansive reexamination of Pusey’s impact on abstraction and beyond.
Much of her work addresses themes deeply connected to contemporary life, including her “Broken Construction” series (1960s-1990s), which explores the artist’s powerful use of destruction and renewal as metaphors for societal change. These works, along with others, are further contextualized through the inclusion of photographs, personal notes, and archival materials, offering invaluable insights into Pusey’s practice and the historical context surrounding her boundary-pushing work. Through this exhibition Mavis Pusey’s significant contributions to abstract art are explored, deepening our understanding of her lasting impact on contemporary artistic discourse.
-
Mavis PuseyCollection of the Studio Museum in Harlem, Mavis Pusey archive
-
![Abstract painting in muted tones, with a horizontal figure at center]()
Mavis Pusey, Recumbancy, 1963Oil on canvas. 38 x 50 in. Private collection. ©Estate of Mavis Pusey
-
![Abstract painting with a dark vertical figure]()
Mavis Pusey, Dancers, n.d.Oil on canvas. 37 3/4 x 31 1/2 in. Private collection. ©Estate of Mavis Pusey
-
![Colorful abstract composition in orange, green, and purple]()
Mavis Pusey, Personante, n.d.Oil on canvas. 53 1/2 x 75 in. Private collection. ©Estate of Mavis Pusey
-
![Abstract composition with a prominant blue figure]()
Mavis Pusey, Nuvae, mid-1960sOil on burlap canvas. 30 x 40 in. Private collection. ©Estate of Mavis Pusey.
-
![Geometric painting of a building facade with windows and shutters in disrepair]()
Mavis Pusey, Within Manhattan, n.d.Oil on canvas. 73 x 96 in. Private collection. ©Estate of Mavis Pusey.
-
![Abstract, geometric drawing]()
Mavis Pusey, Untitled, n.d.Ink and graphite on paper. Private collection. ©Estate of Mavis Pusey.
-
![Abstract, geometric print with a bright orange background at center]()
Mavis Pusey, Paris, Mars – Juin, 1968Color lithograph. 33 x 24 1/2 in.. Private collection. ©Estate of Mavis Pusey.
-
![Abstract geometric print with striking black lines]()
Mavis Pusey, Impact on Vibration, 1968Color lithograph. 33 x 22 1/2 in. Private collection. ©Estate of Mavis Pusey.
-
![Abstract geometric print with striking black lines]()
Mavis Pusey, Frozen Vibration, 1968Screenprint. 20 5/8 x 27 7/16 in.; sheet: 26 3/8 x 33 5/16 in. Private collection. ©Estate of Mavis Pusey.
Mavis Pusey: Mobile Images is co-organized by the Institute of Contemporary Art at the University of Pennsylvania and the Studio Museum in Harlem. This exhibition is curated by Hallie Ringle, Daniel and Brett Sundheim Chief Curator of the ICA Philadelphia, with Kiki Teshome, Curatorial Assistant, Studio Museum in Harlem. The presentation of the artist’s archival materials is curated by Teshome. The presentation at the Hammer is curated by Jessi DiTillio, curatorial assistant.
Major support for Mavis Pusey: Mobile Images is provided by the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation.
All exhibitions at the Hammer are made possible by the Hammer Exhibition Fund. Lead support is provided by Alice and Nahum Lainer. Generous support is provided by Carla Emil and Rich Silverstein, Christine Meleo Bernstein and Armyan Bernstein, and Bill Hair.