Protestant Religious Experience

Agnes Martin "Window" (1957)oil on canvas at Dia Beacon — Agnes Martin “Window” (1957)oil on canvas at Dia Beacon

Mostly minimal and mid-century artists have their own cathedral at Dia Beacon. Richard Serra, Louise Bourgeois, Gerhard Richter, Robert Smithson, Michael Heizer, Robert Ryman, Agnes Martin, Sol LeWitt, Blinky Palermo, and Dan Flavin are all represented in the permanent collection. Robert Irwin designed the gardens.

We hadn’t been here in ten years or so. Tastes change, and revisiting quickly becomes new again. There are temporary exhibitions as well, and we were lucky to catch Tehching Hsieh’s career-spanning performance retrospective—an extraordinary ode to obsession.

Post Work 3 (1986–87) by Roni Horn (cast iron) at Dia Beacon

Roni Horn, someone I wasn’t familiar with, had a room full of sculptures that felt strangely familiar. In the next gallery we found beautiful drawings by her as well. Her powdered pigments are so rich, and the way she cut and pasted the pieces together was exquisite.

"When I breathe, I draw. Part 2"Roni Horn at Dia Beacon (powdered pigment, varnish, and cut-and-pasted cardstock) — “When I breathe, I draw. Part 2″Roni Horn at Dia Beacon (powdered pigment, varnish, and cut-and-pasted cardstock)

Coming from a Roman Catholic background, I couldn’t help but think Dia Beacon is what a Protestant religious experience feels like.

Leave a Reply