FANNY SANÍN’S GEOMETRIC ABSTRACTION IN NEW YORK

Opening on June 4, 2025, at Americas Society, the exhibition Fanny Sanín: Geometric Equations, curated by Dr. Edward J. Sullivan, will showcase the Colombian artist’s significant contributions to the development of abstract art in both Latin America and the United States. Featuring large acrylic paintings, more intimate compositions, and revealing pencil studies, the exhibition will take viewers through the artist’s evolving geometric explorations, underscoring her subtle transformations in the use of color and form.

“The works on view—from small preliminary studies to often monumental final pieces—trace her evolution from gestural painting to precise hard-edged abstraction, while offering a window into the complex nature of her creative process,” said Sullivan, Helen Gould Shepard Professor of Art History at New York University (NYU).

The exhibition is part of an effort to preserve Sanín’s work and make it accessible to future generations. “We at Americas Society are proud to contribute to that goal, hoping this exhibition will be the first of many solo shows that explore the richness of Sanín’s extensive career,” said Aimé Iglesias Lukin, Director and Chief Curator of Art at Americas Society.

Born in Bogotá in 1938, Sanín’s career reflects a continuous development from early expressionist work to her iconic geometric pieces. She studied Fine Arts at the Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, later attending the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana and the Chelsea School of Art in London. She then moved to Monterrey, Mexico, where she held her first solo exhibition in 1964. By the time she settled permanently in Manhattan in 1971, Sanín had already begun developing her distinctive style of complex hard-edged geometric forms, interlaced lines, and complementary or contrasting colors.

Her commitment to geometric abstraction has established Sanín as a key figure among several generations of pioneering Latin American women artists in the field of abstraction. In the exhibition catalogue, Ana María Reyes, Associate Professor of Latin American Art History at Boston University, writes that Sanín’s paintings offer “a spiritual and emotional breath in these uncertain times.” According to Reyes, Sanín’s carefully constructed compositions provide “a meditative experience that reinforces the timeless human pursuit of order and harmony.”

Fanny Sanín: Geometric Equations will be on view from June 4 through July 26, 2025, at Americas Society, 680 Park Avenue, New York, USA.

*Cover image: Fanny Sanín. Oil no. 7 1968, 1968. Oil on canvas, 122 x 168 cm. Private collection. Photo courtesy of photographers Whitney Browne, Robert Lorenzson, Eric Politzer, Daniel Quat, Mayer Sasson, Jim Strong, and William H. Titus (Americas Society).