Carol Bove: A Retrospective at the Guggenheim קרול בובה: רטרוספקטיבה בגוגנהיים

How much power can there be in something that looks as if it is about to collapse at any moment?

That is not only the question that accompanies the exhibition currently on view at the Guggenheim. It is also the first sensation it produces in everyone who walks in.

The new exhibition by Carol Bove is the artist's first museum survey. It fills the entire iconic rotunda of the Guggenheim Museum and presents works made over more than 25 years.

Carol Bove (born 1971 in Geneva; lives and works in New York) is known above all for her large, colorful metal sculptures. She takes industrial steel and crushes, crumples, stretches and coils it until it looks almost like fabric, paper or a soft ribbon fluttering in the wind. These sculptures, which defy what you expect the material to do, have become emblematic of Bove's work and won her international attention. They seem light, soft and fragile, but as you come closer you realize they are made of tons of steel. They strike a delicate balance and look as if they are defeating gravity.

And that is exactly the sensation the exhibition creates from the very first moment.

Even before you read the curatorial text or try to grasp the ideas behind the works, the eye and the body respond. The sculptures look as if they have lost their balance, as if at any moment they will collapse, buckle, come apart or give in to gravity. Even knowing that these are heavy, completely stable steel structures, the eye keeps insisting that they are fragile. Only later, as you climb up the spiral, do you begin to understand that the exhibition is far more than an impressive display of material and form.

Alongside the steel sculptures are early works that look as if they were made by an entirely different artist: simple shelves arranged with paperback books from the 1960s and 1970s, intimate paper collages, and works made from unexpected materials such as peacock feathers and seashells. Throughout, colorful aluminum panels appear as well, in geometric shapes and vivid tones.

The range of languages, materials and forms is so wide that for a moment you could genuinely think you are looking at several different artists.

Especially interesting is the curatorial decision to arrange the display in reverse: the newest works at the start of the route, and as you climb the spiral you move back in time toward the earliest ones. This way you see not only how her language changed over the years, but also how much she refuses to commit to a single material, a single style or a single way of working.

And beyond all these layers, this is simply a colorful and joyful exhibition, the kind you can wander through and enjoy for its color, its shapes and its space.

If you are in New York, it is worth hurrying: the exhibition is open through August 2, 2026.

And if you feel like ending the day in style, drop by Bemelmans Bar at The Carlyle, about a 15 minute walk from the museum. One of New York's iconic cocktail bars, with a classic atmosphere, live piano almost every evening and excellent cocktails.

💡 Tip: free entry to the Guggenheim with a library card.

📍 Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York
📅 Through August 2, 2026