Newcomb Art Museum Presents Lynda Benglis: Elemental

NEW ORLEANS, Nov. 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Tulane University's Newcomb Art Museum will present Lynda Benglis: Elemental, January 21–May 20, 2027. Featuring nearly 40 works spanning 1961 to 2024, Elemental reframes the work of American artist and Newcomb College alumna Lynda Benglis. This exhibition foregrounds the role that the Gulf Coast has played in her work and examines how Benglis' environment, family history, and education have informed her practice. The show traces six decades of experimentation by one of the most influential artists of her generation.

Raised in Lake Charles, Louisiana, Benglis developed a lasting connection to the region's waterways, wetlands, and industrial landscapes. Elemental explores how these formative surroundings influenced her approach to movement, perception, and material transformation— ideas that have remained consistent throughout her career.

A defining work in the exhibition is Contraband (1969), a monumental "fallen painting" made from fluorescent-pigmented latex, on loan from the Whitney Museum of American Art. Named after Contraband Bayou near her childhood home, the work has never been exhibited in Louisiana. The bayou and its surrounding landscape helped shape Benglis' early curiosity about nature and the physical world. Contraband extends the painted surface beyond the conventional limits of the canvas, challenging traditional distinctions between painting and sculpture.

Image-making and material experimentation are central to Benglis' practice. These interests are evident in Goliath (1989), a voluminous sculpture made from rolls of pleated wire mesh that Benglis manipulated through tying and folding. The work belongs to a series of pleated sculptures that recently inspired Christian Dior creative director Jonathan Anderson's Fall/Winter 2026–2027 haute couture collection, translating Benglis' exploration of material, texture and volume into fashion. The connection underscores her continued influence across contemporary art and design.

Through rare drawings, paintings, ceramics, glass and metal works, Elemental traces the evolution of Benglis' practice and the influence of her Louisiana roots. "This exhibition asks how a young woman from Lake Charles became Lynda Benglis, the pioneering sculptor we know today. By looking closely at her formative years in Southwest Louisiana and New Orleans, we can better understand her extraordinary evolution and achievements. Presenting this story at the Newcomb Art Museum is especially meaningful because Benglis began her artistic journey here, in this very building," said Laura Blereau, curator of exhibitions at Newcomb Art Museum.

Benglis has received a Guggenheim Fellowship and two grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, among other honors. Her work is held in major public collections including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and the Museum of Modern Art in New York; the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Tate in London; the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.; the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; Walker Art Center in Minneapolis and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.

Lynda Benglis: Elemental is organized by Laura Blereau, curator of exhibitions at Newcomb Art Museum, in partnership with Pace Gallery and the artist's studios in New York and Santa Fe. An illustrated exhibition catalog published by Dancing Foxes Press is forthcoming in 2027.

Exhibition information: Lynda Benglis: Elemental January 21–May 20, 2027, Newcomb Art Museum, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana.

For more information, visit newcombartmuseum.tulane.edu. 

Media are invited to cover Lynda Benglis: Elemental, an exhibition examining the Louisiana roots and artistic development of the internationally acclaimed sculptor. Interviews with museum leadership and curator Laura Blereau, along with advance exhibition information and press images, are available upon request. For media inquiries, interview requests or to arrange coverage, contact Newcomb Art Museum.

Media Contacts:
Tracey Bellina | tracey@tulane.edu | 504-314-2191
Maurita N. Poole | mpoole4@tulane.edu 

About Newcomb Art Museum of Tulane University

Located on Tulane University's uptown campus, the Newcomb Art Museum of Tulane University builds on the legacy of the H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College through exhibitions and programs that advance education, social enterprise, and artistic innovation. The museum fosters creative exchange across disciplines and preserves and promotes scholarship on the Newcomb and Tulane art collections.

SOURCE Newcomb Art Museum of Tulane