Explore the synergies between the practices of two internationally-renowned contemporary artists in “Ursula von Rydingsvard: States of Becoming” and “Leonardo Drew: Alchemy.” The concurrent monographic exhibitions, on view December 4, 2025, through May 10, 2026, celebrate the past two decades of the respective artists’ careers, demonstrating how each transforms their materials — notably paper and wood — into emotionally resonant and highly experimental art.
“Ursula von Rydingsvard’s sculptures and paper pulp works show us what happens when artistic practice melds open-ended curiosity and knowledge-seeking across disciplines — when years of patient experimentation with materials yield discoveries that could emerge no other way,” Mary-Kate O’Hare, the Susan E. Lynch director and CEO of the Bruce Museum, said. “Similarly, Leonardo Drew’s multilayered process and ongoing exploration of new materials, techniques and compositions result in innovative creations that impart a sense of unbridled energy. Both ‘States of Becoming’ and ‘Alchemy’ show the revelations made possible through a commitment to sustained artistic inquiry.”
“Ursula von Rydingsvard: States of Becoming” invites visitors to explore the past 20 years of the artist’s five-decade career. Featuring 15 powerful sculptures and wall reliefs along with a selection of paper pulp works, the exhibition reveals the constant evolution of von Rydingsvard’s ideas and practice. Her career-long tendency to take apart, rearrange or add to existing creations allows the tracing of artistic lineages within her prolific oeuvre, not only between individual pieces but also across the media she uses.
Departing from Drew’s signature, monumental sculptural installations, “Leonardo Drew: Alchemy” showcases approximately 20 works on paper produced within the last two decades. Throughout his career, drawings and works on paper have been essential to Drew’s practice. Since 2011, the artist has collaborated with Pace Paper in Brooklyn, exploring and testing the possibilities of his materials, techniques and compositions on a more intimate scale. The earliest pieces he produced with the studio were monochromatic monoprints, but these eventually gave way to experiments in paper pulp casting that resulted in highly dimensional and vibrantly colored works.
“With deep roots in Connecticut, both artists are known for their labor-intensive methods and intuitive approaches to abstraction,” Margarita Karasoulas, the Bruce Museum’s curator of art, said. “Each pushes the boundaries of their respective mediums through constant innovation. Drew transforms materials through a process of alchemy, while von Rydingsvard has expanded her sculptural vocabulary to the art of papermaking, exploring many of her signature ideas and motifs across cedar and paper pulp. Through their insistent materiality, the works on view in both exhibitions are powerfully resonant. Above all, they make us feel something.”
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Featured Image Credit:
Leonardo Drew (American, b. 1961)
Number 418, 2024
Wood, plaster, and paint, 45 x 45 x 8 in.
Courtesy of the artist, Talley Dunn Gallery, and Galerie Lelong
© Leonardo Drew