A major survey of Portuguese French artist Maria Helena Vieira da Silva (1908–92) is on view at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice through September 15, before traveling to the Guggenheim Bilbao. The exhibition highlights her maze-like abstractions, which feature vibrant tile-like squares and interwoven lines, and includes works from her World War II–era figurative period, such as *The Disaster* (1942). The show follows a traveling exhibition in Marseille and Dijon (2022–2023) and her inclusion in the Centre Pompidou’s 2021 “Women in Abstraction” exhibition, signaling a resurgence of interest in her work.
The retrospective matters because Vieira da Silva, once a celebrated star in her day—showing at the Venice Biennale, the historic 1943 “Exhibition by 31 Women,” and internationally—had fallen into relative obscurity. Her work now resonates with contemporary audiences for its resistance to easy categorization and its poignant depictions of human tragedy during World War II. Curators Flavia Frigeri and Naïs Lefrancois emphasize that her practice eludes traditional art movements, making her a compelling figure for a younger generation seeking fresh perspectives on abstraction and history.