CLOSE Gallery presents a major exhibition celebrating six decades of work by Suzanne Blank Redstone, opening on 10 May and running to 28 June. On the occasion of the artist’s 80th birthday this year, Catching Light is an overdue survey giving unprecedented insight into Redstone’s influential, lively and vivid contributions to painting, sculpture and public art.
Rooted in the mid-century aesthetic principles of modernism and the Bauhaus school’s egalitarian approach to creating Gesamtkunstwerk, Redstone’s works harness the potent possibilities in Light, geometry and colour, prompting dazzling and perception-bending effects in the viewer, and often evoking strong sensory and emotional responses. Sharing affinities with several movements, including Geometric Abstraction, Light and Space and Op Art, this exhibition repositions Redstone’s importance as a key figure in contemporary art.
Raised in Queens, New York, Redstone earned a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and an MFA from the University of Pennsylvania. Catching Light includes explorations with plaster reliefs from the late 1960s, delicate, handcrafted pieces where colour is applied to create reflective contrasts against white surfaces, to produce subtle illusions of Light and colour. A collection of Redstone’s Light sculptures, often intended as proposals for building façades, is also on show. Creating environments that interact with Light as it changes throughout the day, these works engage with geometric abstraction, featuring curvilinear forms that blur the boundaries between geometry and biomorphism. Redstone’s exploration of these themes places her within the context of a male-dominated tradition while highlighting her distinct voice.
Tracing Redstone’s trajectory over sixty years, many of the works show Redstone’s continued and evolving interest in challenging perceptions, incorporating illusory elements and trompe l’oeil. In her Portals series, for example, Redstone uses primary colours and right angles, formal parameters that generate a sense of spatial depth and movement, transforming simple geometric shapes into vibratory visual narratives.
Working between nature and the built environment throughout her career, more recently, Redstone has also worked on public sculptural commissions, employing Light as a subject and material, alongside weighty, earthy stone and metal.
In keeping with CLOSE gallery’s dedication to showcasing women artists and those who have been neglected by art history, this exhibition marks a pivotal moment in Redstone’s astonishing
career and presents a unique opportunity to rediscover works that have not yet received the recognition they deserve.
Artist Suzanne Blank Redstone: “My practice is concerned with interrupting the available light that surrounds us, creating environments that attract, catch and release light to produce a changing visual experience.”
Suzanne Blank Redstone (b. 1945, Orlando, FL) is a prominent American artist who spans painting, sculpture, and public art installations. After earning a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design and an MFA from the University of Pennsylvania, Redstone spent decades refining her practice, working independently and collaborating with academic and architectural institutions. Her work has been exhibited widely, including solo exhibitions in the United States and the UK, and is held in various private collections. Redstone is a member of the Royal Society of Sculptors. She lives and works in Devon, UK.
CLOSE is a rural contemporary art gallery set in the grounds of Close House, Hatch Beauchamp, Somerset. Founded by curator and art advisor Freeny Yianni, RSA, who has worked in the international art world for over 30 years, CLOSE runs a vibrant programme of
exhibitions and displays a growing permanent collection. CLOSE represents the estates of the late Grenville Davey and Jane Harris (with Partner with Pru O’Day) as well as a roster of international artists. CLOSE CURATES presents exhibitions and outstanding projects off-site, in collaboration with organisations and institutions.
Suzanne Blank Redstone: Catching Light CLOSE
Close Ltd = Hatch Beauchamp, Taunton – TA3 6AE
10 May – 28 June, 2025
Join us for the private view, 2 – 4 pm, 10 May 2025