Vija Celmins

Images full of magic and stillness

Vija Celmins is a master of subtle visual power. She is best known for her captivating paintings and drawings depicting galaxies, lunar surfaces, desert floors, oceans, and spider webs. Her works are not monumental; they are painted with a restrained palette and defy quick vision. But once you get involved with them, your gaze gets caught and they unfold their fascination and great beauty. This catalogue presents all 90 works exhibited at the Fondation Beyeler. Several commentaries by the artist on her works are inserted between the image pages, most of them published for the first time. Contributions by renowned authors and artists including Julian Bell, Teju Cole, Rachel Cusk, Marlene Dumas, and Glenn Ligon open up new perspectives on the artist's impressive oeuvre.