Sol LeWitt: A Wall Drawing Retrospective at Mass MoCA

In 2007 Parkin donated several drawings by Sol LeWitt to the Art Gallery of Ontario. The same year she made a special excursion to Mass MoCA, an art centre in Massachusetts, to see the exhibit Sol LeWitt: A Wall Drawing Retrospective. Of LeWitt’s art, she explains, “It stands out for me because although I love many works, Minimalism is fundamental to me.”

“My trip to see Sol LeWitt: A Wall Drawing Retrospective moved me beyond anything. It’s not any one drawing in particular; it was the whole thing, the multitude of his amazing colour works. Room after room of floor-to-ceiling linear and minimalist wall drawings and paintings by one of my favourite Conceptual artists made this an unforgettable experience. The wall drawings were in all kinds of patterns, geometric and organic. Sol LeWitt came to Mass MoCA, spending six months installing 105 of his wall drawings (1969 to 2007), where it will be a permanent exhibition until 2033—and then it will disappear.

“I don’t know if people realize what an incredible installation this is. How many people in the world have seen this? If I see something that I think everybody should have a chance to see, I organize a trip. That is what I do. I always feel I want to let the world know. It’s not so much an educational thing as it is an exposure to the same art that meant so much to me—hopefully they will experience something of the same intensity that I have. I wish everyone could spend time with this installation.”