Opens February 7, 2026
Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Orange Store Front Project, 1991. Lithograph, 27 ½ x 31 inches. Gift of the Children of Jean P. Messex, 2016.5.1. © Christo and Jeanne-Claude
Louise Nevelson, Construction, 1966. Mixed media collage with photographic overlay, 22 7/8 x 17 ½ inches. Gift of Dr. Robert B. and Dorothy M. Gronlund, 2002.021. © 2025 Louise Nevelson / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Charles Sheeler, Hydro Electric Power, Hoover Dam, 1950. Tempera and ink on artist board, 14 ½ x 14 ½ inches. Museum purchase with funds provided by the Athena Society, 2021.1 © Charles Sheeler
Jim Dine, Asleep with his Tools Jim Dreams, 2018. Oil paint with woodcut on five sheets of paper, 75 ¼ x 139 ¾ inches. Gift of Geoff and Jeanne Champion, 2023.08 © Jim Dine
Schumann and Stark Galleries
Since the early 20th century, artists have explored the concept of construction in various ways. Geometric abstractionists used rigid structures and grids as compositional frameworks, while the Bauhaus and Constructivist movements embraced art through the lens of engineered design, often inspired by industrial materials and architecture. Mid-century artists continued this exploration with structured geometric compositions, leading to Minimalism, where industrial materials and modular systems emphasized repetition and form. Today, contemporary art and architecture engage with these ideas, particularly through a focus on facades and the materials and techniques used to create them.
This exhibition, drawn primarily from the VBMA’s permanent collection with select loans, examines construction’s influential role in modern and contemporary art. Notable works include Louise Nevelson’s Construction Red (1966), Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s Orange Store Front Project (1991), and Jim Dine’s Asleep with his Tools Jim Dreams, 2018, among many others.
Construction: from Abstraction to Architecture is curated by Chief Curator, Caitlin Swindell and organized by the Vero Beach Museum of Art.