Over the course of five decades, Ursula von Rydingsvard (American, b. Germany, 1942) has created monumental, even imposing sculptures that have an undercurrent of vulnerability. Although she has experimented with a wide variety of mediums, since the mid-1970s she has worked primarily with cedar, a soft, malleable material that can be easily manipulated to form abstract shapes. Each sculpture begins with an outline drawn directly onto the studio floor, and within this shape individual four-by-four beams of cedar are drawn, cut, stacked, and glued together. Her process is both additive and subtractive, and each cumulative layer is an intuitive response to the one before, as though the sculpture, according to the artist, “at least partially…determines its own destiny.” Indeed, von Rydingsvard strives to occupy “the intermediary space that really has no answers, that really has no specific goal…a place that’s more volatile…that isn’t so certain.”

Ursula von Rydingsvard: states of becoming is the first exhibition to explore the artist’s improvisational manner of working and long-standing practice of returning to sculptures or deliberately reworking years later. Since 2007 she has expanded her sculptural vocabulary, collaborating with the papermaking workshop Dieu Donné to produce highly dimensional pieces cast from abaca and handmade linen paper embellished with cotton, lace, and other organic materials. Like her sculptures, the works on paper embody a certain vulnerability and elusiveness, the amorphous, wet pulp fraying at the edges. Tracing von Rydingsvard’s works of the last two decades in cedar and paper through various states of evolving, unraveling, and, ultimately, becoming, this exhibition reveals the tensions between methodology and intuition, monumentality and vulnerability, and meaning and ambiguity in her practice.

Ursula von Rydingsvard: states of becoming is organized by the Bruce Museum and curated by Margarita Karasoulas, Curator of Art, with Jordan Hillman, Assistant Curator.

Major support for Ursula von Rydingsvard: states of becoming is provided by an anonymous donor, Rebecca Gillan, Agnes Gund, and the Charles M. and Deborah G. Royce Exhibition Fund with additional support provided by anonymous donors, Megan and Andrew Clark, Vicki and Bill Fitzgerald, Galerie Lelong, Pam and Bob Goergen, Gale and Bob Lawrence, Susan and Bill Mahoney, Talley Dunn Gallery, Jacqueline and Arthur Walker, Rebecca and David West, Connecticut Humanities, and the State of Connecticut Department of Economic Community Development.

Support for the exhibition’s publication is provided by the Blue Rider Group at Morgan Stanley.

Exhibition Programs

Members Winter Exhibition Celebration
Monday, December 8 6-7:30pm
Please join fellow members for an evening reception celebrating new winter exhibitions at the Bruce.Please RSVP by emailing rsvp@bruceumuseum.org or calling 203.413.6760.

Bruce Experiences: Ursula von Rydingsvard: Into Her Own
Saturday, December 13 2-pm
Into Her Own is an artistic biography of Ursula von Rydingsvard’s practice. The documentary goes behind the scenes as she and her collaborators produce new work. The film also delves into the artist's personal life and how it shaped her work.
Viewer discretion advised: This documentary discusses topics that may be emotionally challenging or distressing.  Please watch with care.

Bruce Inspires: Calm Crochet
Saturday, December 20, 2-3:30pm
This workshop, inspired by the works on paper displayed in the new exhibition Ursula von Rydingsvard: States of Becoming, will guide participants through an open-ended creative crochet experience. Freeform crochet does not follow a pattern or rules and instead invites the maker to create an artistic and improvisational piece. Participants will leave with a beautiful crochet wall hanging that they can give as a gift or proudly display in their home. Materials will be provided, but feel free to bring your own hooks and yarn. This class is best for advanced beginners who know the crochet basics (chain, single, double and treble crochet).
Fee: $16-member, $20 non-member

Ursula von Rydingsvard (American, b. Germany, 1942)
Heart in Hand (wood model), 2014
Cedar and graphite, 126 x 81 x 46 ½ in.
Courtesy the artist, Galerie Lelong, and Talley Dunn Gallery
© Ursula von Rydingsvard, courtesy Galerie Lelong and Talley Dunn Gallery
Photo by Michael Bodycomb

Ursula von Rydingsvard (American, b. Germany, 1942)
Untitled Brush, 2000
Cedar and pig intestines, 116 x 39 x 11 in.
© Ursula von Rydingsvard, courtesy Galerie Lelong and Talley Dunn Gallery
Photo by Jonty Wilde

Ursula von Rydingsvard (American, b. Germany, 1942)
Untitled, 2016–2019
Pigment, paper pulp, thread, fabric, and handmade linen paper, 35 x 23 ¼ in.
© Ursula von Rydingsvard, courtesy Galerie Lelong and Talley Dunn Gallery
Photo by Maya Meissner

Ursula von Rydingsvard (American, b. Germany, 1942)
DO CIAŁA, 2024
Cedar and graphite, 123 x 108 x 15 in.
© Ursula von Rydingsvard, courtesy Galerie Lelong and Talley Dunn Gallery
Photo by Joshua Simpson

Ursula von Rydingsvard (American, b. Germany, 1942)
Untitled, 2019
Silk scarf, thread, pigment, paper pulp, and handmade linen paper, 29 x 37 in.
© Ursula von Rydingsvard, courtesy Galerie Lelong and Talley Dunn Gallery

Ursula von Rydingsvard (American, b. Germany, 1942)
Untitled, 2019
Silk scarf, pigment, thread, paper pulp, and handmade linen paper, 38 x 22 in.
© Ursula von Rydingsvard, courtesy Galerie Lelong and Talley Dunn Gallery
Photo by Maya Meissner