Independent 20th Century

Hauser & Wirth Institute presented selections from two artists’ archives at the 2023 Independent 20th Century art fair, which took place from September 7 – 10. Independent 20th Century’s focus is on reassessing the canon to make it more inclusive and representative. The fair seeks to tell the stories of artists who were ahead of their time and whose stories have not yet been told. In this spirit, we exhibited archival materials from the papers of artists Zahoor ul Akhlaq (1941-1999) and Mary Dill Henry (1913 – 2009).

Zahoor ul Akhlaq is one of Pakistan’s best-known and most influential artists. An early experimenter in installation and sculptural forms, the artist is perhaps most famous for combining a keen awareness of abstraction and artistic modernism with the traditions of calligraphy and miniature painting. In 2021, the Institute awarded a grant to Asia Art Archive to process, digitize and make available the artist’s papers. The selection of material at Independent 20th Century was curated by John Tain, head of research at Asia Art Archive.

Abstract painter Mary Dill Henry studied with László Moholy-Nagy in Chicago at the ‘New Bauhaus’ before taking a break from her art practice to raise her family and work in design. She recommitted herself to painting later in life, becoming known for her geometric abstract work in her adopted home of the Pacific Northwest. We cataloged and digitized the Henry Papers as part of our In-House Archiving Program, and in 2022 the cataloged collection was donated to Paul V. Galvin Library’s University Archives and Special Collections at Illinois Institute of Technology, Henry’s alma mater.

Independent 20th Century
September 7 – 10, 2023

Thursday, September 7: 11 AM – 8 PM (By Invitation Only)
Friday, September 8: 12 PM – 8 PM
Saturday, September 9: 12 PM – 8 PM
Sunday, September 10: 11 AM – 6 PM

Located at Cipriani South Street, 10 South Street, New York, NY 10004

For more information please visit the Independent website.