Dates:
Location:
Shaw Ruddock Gallery, Boyd GallerySelected Works
L’Amour dorloté par les Belles Dames, 1906, watercolor by Mina Loy, 15 1/2 × 22 1/4 in. (39.37 × 56.52 cm). Private collection. Photography by Jay York.
La Maison en Papier, 1906, gouache and graphite, by Mina Loy. 19 3/4 × 12 1/2 in. (50.17 × 31.75 cm). Private collection.
Mina Loy, 1920, gelatin silver print, by Man Ray. 6 1/2 × 5 1/8 in. (16.51 × 12.95 cm). Private collection. Photography by Luc Demers. Man Ray © Man Ray 2015 Trust / Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY / ADAGP, Paris 2022.
Portrait of Man Ray, ca. 1925, graphite, by Mina Loy, 20 × 12 in. (50.8 × 30.48 cm). Private collection. Photography by Jay York.
Bust-Length Portrait of Marianne Moore, ca. 1917, pencil on woven paper, by Mina Loy. 6 1/8 × 3 1/2 in. (15.56 × 8.89 cm). 2006.4542, The Rosenbach, Philadelphia, 2006.4542
Girl with Red Hair, ca. 1921, watercolor and graphite, by Mina Loy. 13 5/8 × 9 3/4 in. (34.61 × 24.77 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, bequest of Scofield Thayer, 1982 (1984.433.249). Image copyright © The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Image Source: Art Resource, NY.
Lunar Baedecker [sic], 1923 by Mina Loy. Private collection. Photography by Luc Demers.
Joella Haweis Bayer, photograph of Mina Loy, Calla Lily Lamp “Arum Lumineux,” ca. 1927, gelatin silver print, 7 7/8 × 4 15/16 in. (20 × 12.5 cm). Private collection. Photography by Luc Demers.
Untitled (Surreal Scene), ca. 1935, gouache with collage on panel, by Mina Loy. 20 3/4 × 16 3/4 in. (52.71 × 42.55 cm). Private collection. Photography by Jay York.
Moons I, 1932, mixed media on board, by Mina Loy. 26 1/4 × 35 1/4 in. (66.68 × 89.54 cm). Private collection. Photography by Brad Stanton
Stars, 1932, mixed media on board, by Mina Loy. 31 × 34 in. (78.74 × 86.36 cm). Private collection. Photography by Luc Demers.
Untitled (The Drifting Tower), ca. 1950, cut-paper and mixed-media collage on canvas, by Mina Loy. 28 3/4 × 39 in. (73.03 × 99.06 cm). Private collection. Photography by Jay York.
Knitting Needles with ruler 1946, by Mina Loy. Private collection. Photography by Luc Demers.
Untitled, ca. 1950, cut-paper and mixed-media collage on board, by Mina Loy. 23 1/4 × 27 in. (59.06 × 68.58 cm). Private collection. Photography by Jay York.
Christ on a Clothesline, ca. 1955–59, cut-paper and mixed-media collage, by Mina Loy. 24 × 41 1/2 × 4 1/2 in. (60.96 × 105.41 × 11.43 cm). Private Collection. Photography by Dana Martin-Strebel.
Prospector 1, 1954, mixed media on paper mounted to panel, by Mina Loy.58 1/4 × 35 1/2 in. (147.96 × 90.17 cm). Private collection. Photography by Jay York.
Prospector 2, 1954, mixed media on paper mounted to panel, by Mina Loy. 58 1/4 × 35 1/2 in. (147.96 × 90.17 cm). Private collection. Photography by Jay York.
About
Mina Loy: Strangeness is Inevitable is the first monographic presentation of the art of Mina Loy (born Mina Gertrude Lowy, 1882–1966), one of the most inscrutable artists and poets of the twentieth century. Over 80 paintings, drawings, and constructions made by Loy through the course of her life, are united to reveal her omnivorous creativity as an image-maker, author, and cultural arbiter. These works, drawn from a dozen institutional and private lenders, are complemented by extensive, never-before assembled, archival materials that will contextualize her art within the arc of her life. Courageous enough to defy the conventions of her era, both socially and aesthetically, Loy developed a creative career that included the creation of poetry and prose, visual art, and design. Curated by Jennifer R. Gross, the show is accompanied by a fully illustrated eponymous catalogue published by Princeton University Press.
Major support for the exhibition is provided by the Elizabeth B. G. Hamlin Fund, the Becker Fund for the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, the Zell Family Foundation, Peter J. Grua ’76 and Mary G. O’Connell ’76, the Wyeth Foundation for American Art, Robert Freson, Selina F. Little, Furthermore: a program of the J. M. Kapan Fund, Colby College Museum of Art, and the Roy A. Hunt Foundation.
Read the illustrated exhibition labels here.
Read the press release here.
The exhibition catalogue is available for purchase at the Bowdoin Store and other fine booksellers.
Recordings from Closing Symposium, September 15, 2023
Dawn Ades, Professor Emeritus of Art History and Theory at the University of Essex, spoke at the public symposium marking the closing of the exhibition "Mina Loy: Strangeness Is Inevitable"on September 15, 2023 at the Bowdoin College Museum Art. Featuring a range of international experts on Mina Loy—including art historians, literary specialists, and poets—the symposium reflected on the remarkable impact of Loy’s work historically and in the present day.
Recorded on September 15, 2023 at the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, Brunswick, Maine.
Recorded April 28, 2023, at the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, Brunswick, Maine.
On Salvage and Invention: Mina Loy
Sara Crangle, Professor of Modernism and the Avant-Garde (English), School of Media, Arts and Humanities, University of Sussex; Karla Kelsey, independent poet, essayist, and editor; spoke at the public symposium marking the closing of the exhibition "Mina Loy: Strangeness Is Inevitable" on September 15, 2023 at the Bowdoin College Museum Art. Featuring a range of international experts on Mina Loy—including art historians, literary specialists, and poets—the symposium reflected on the remarkable impact of Loy’s work historically and in the present day.
Recorded on September 15, 2023 at the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, Brunswick, Maine.
Ann Lauterbach, David and Ruth Schwab Professor of Languages and Literature; Faculty, Milton Avery Graduate School of the Arts, spoke at the public symposium marking the closing of the exhibition "Mina Loy: Strangeness Is Inevitable" on September 15, 2023 at the Bowdoin College Museum Art. Featuring a range of international experts on Mina Loy—including art historians, literary specialists, and poets—the symposium reflected on the remarkable impact of Loy’s work historically and in the present day.
Recorded on September 15, 2023 at the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, Brunswick, Maine.
Open Discussion: "Learning from Mina Loy”
Anne Collins Goodyear, Co-Director of the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, and Roger Conover, Executive Editor emeritus, MIT Press, and Mina Loy’s editor and literary executor conducted an open discussion to conclude the public symposium marking the closing of the exhibition “Mina Loy: Strangeness Is Inevitable” on September 15, 2023 at the Bowdoin College Museum Art. Featuring a range of international experts on Mina Loy—including art historians, literary specialists, and poets—the symposium reflected on the remarkable impact of Loy’s work historically and in the present day.
Recorded on September 15, 2023 at the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, Brunswick, Maine.
Busterwolf, musician, visual artist, photographer, Ross Cisneros, artist and composer, and Roger Conover, executive editor emeritus, MIT Press and Mina Loy’s literary executor, joined in a discussion of Busterwolf’s “Mina Loy” at the public symposium marking the closing of the exhibition “Mina Loy: Strangeness Is Inevitable” on September 15, 2023 at the Bowdoin College Museum Art. Featuring a range of international experts on Mina Loy—including art historians, literary specialists, and poets—the symposium reflected on the remarkable impact of Loy’s work historically and in the present day.
Recorded on September 15, 2023 at the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, Brunswick, Maine.
Recordings from Scholars' Day April 28, 2023
Jennifer Gross, guest curator of “Mina Loy: Strangeness is Inevitable” provided a tour of the exhibition at the Bowdoin College Museum of Art as part of a Scholars’ Day celebrating the artist, Mina Loy.
Recorded April 28, 2023, at the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, Brunswick, Maine.
Sanja Bahun, Department of Literature, Film, and Theatre, the University of Essex, presents research on artist Mina Loy as part of a Scholars’ Day celebrating the exhibition, “Mina Loy: Strangeness is Inevitable” at the Bowdoin College Museum of Art.
Recorded April 28, 2023 at the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, Brunswick, Maine.
Dawn Ades, Emeritus Professor, School of Philosophy and Art History, University of Essex, presents research on artist Mina Loy as part of the Scholars’ Day celebrating the exhibition, “Mina Loy: Strangeness is Inevitable” at the Bowdoin College Museum of Art.
Presented virtually by the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, Brunswick, Maine on April 28, 2023.
Suzanne W. Churchill, Professor of English at Davidson College, and Lina Kinnahan, Professor of English, Duquesne University, present research on artist Mina Loy as part of a Scholars’ Day celebrating the exhibition, “Mina Loy: Strangeness is Inevitable” at the Bowdoin College Museum of Art.
Recorded April 28, 2023 at the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, Brunswick, Maine.
Programming
Busterwolf's "Mina Loy": Music and the Entrance to Infinity
Kresge Auditorium, Visual Arts Center, Bowdoin College
Thursday, September 15, 2024
Enjoy this recording of the Busterwolf's performance "Busterwolf's 'Mina Loy:' Music and the Entrance to Infinity" recorded on September 14, 2023.
In honor of the closing of the exhibition Mina Loy: Strangeness Is Inevitable at the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, the musician Busterwolf offered a performance of his work, including his track "Mina Loy." Inspired by Loy’s 1923 collection of poetry, "Lunar Baedeker," Busterwolf’s "Mina Loy" borrows heavily from Loy’s imagery and “stellectric” language and attempts to reimagine the rhythm, word play, and lyricism of Loy’s lines in the style and general vibe of the classic “boom bap” hip hop the musician grew up listening to in Brooklyn. Following the performance, Busterwolf was joined in a public conversation with artist and composer Ross Cisneros.
Busterwolf is a musician, visual artist, and photographer. He now calls Tallahassee his home and is a member of the music collective and independent record label, Citronella Room.
Presented by the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, Brunswick, Maine, and recorded on the Bowdoin College campus on September 14, 2023.
Opening lecture: “Mina Loy: Strangeness is Inevitable” with Roger Conover
Kresge Auditorium, Visual Arts Center, Bowdoin College
Thursday, April 27, 2023
Enjoy this recording of the opening lecture: "'Mina Loy: Strangeness Is Inevitable' with Roger Conover," recorded on April 27, 2023.
Roger Conover, Executive Editor emeritus, MIT Press, and Mina Loy’s editor and literary executor, introduces the new exhibition at the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, "Mina Loy: Strangeness is Inevitable," the first monographic presentation of the art of Mina Loy, one of the one of the most inscrutable artists and poets of the twentieth century.
Presented by the Bowdoin College Museum of Art.
"Music at the Museum: The Muses of Mina Loy: New York and Paris in “Les Anneé Folles (The Crazy Years)” with George Lopez, Beckwith Artist-in-Residence, and Gulimina Mahamuti, Special Guest Artist.
Friday, April 21, 2023
"Music at the Museum: The Many Faces and Places of Mina Loy: A Portrait in Words and Music” with George Lopez, Beckwith Artist-in-Residence, and special guest artists Katlyn Manfre and Gulimina Mahamuti.
Tuesday, September 12, 2023
Review the printed program for the performance here.
For Further Reading
Selected Online Resources
A number of online resources exist for further exploration of Mina Loy’s career and creative work. We recommend the following:
Paul Blackburn and Robert Vas Dias, “Interview with Mina Loy,” 1965, Penn Sound, Center for Programs in Contemporary Writing at the University of Pennsylvania: https://writing.upenn.edu/pennsound/x/Loy.php.
Suzanne W. Churchill, Linda Kinnahan, and Susan Rosenbaum, Mina Loy: Navigating the Avant Garde: https://mina-loy.com/
Nancy Kuhl, “Mina Loy Papers Online,” December 5, 2017, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University, https://beinecke.library.yale.edu/article/mina-loy-papers-online.
Mina Loy’s Artwork and Chronological List of Mina Loy’s Exhibitions: http://www.eng.fju.edu.tw/English_Literature/ekphrasis/Mina_Loy/minaloy_artwork.htm.
Selected Period Publications Featuring Mina Loy’s Work
Poetry and artwork by Mina Loy appeared in numerous journals dedicated to modern art, literature, and culture. Many of these so-called “little magazines” can now be accessed electronically. We recommend these resources:
Index of Modernist Magazines, https://modernistmagazines.org/
Modernist Journals Project: https://modjourn.org/
The Dial Archives: https://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/serial?id=thedial
Installation Views
Press
Mina Loy, Strangeness Is Inevitable, Burlington Magazine, September 2023
Mina Loy: Strangeness Is Inevitable, Rhino Reviews, Fall 2023
Mina Loy: Stangeness Is Inevitable, CAA Reviews, September 26, 2023
Looking Anew at Mina Loy, From Paris to the Bowery, Hyperallergic, September 11, 2023
Teasing a Butterfly, Times Literary Supplement, August 18-25, 2023
Mina Loy: Strangeness is Inevitable, The Brooklyn Rail, August 2023
‘Mina Loy: Strangeness Is Inevitable’ celebrates a remarkable ‘cultural pollinator,’ Boston Globe, July 19, 2023
Art review: Mina Loy was way ahead of her time and is finally emerging from obscurity, Portland Press Herald, July 16, 2023
Review: Mina Loy: Strangeness is Inevitable, Brooklyn Rail, July 2023
The Inevitable Strangeness of Mina Loy, Antiques and the Arts Weekly, July 3, 2023
11 Books to Add to Your Reading List this Summer, Hyperallergic, June 28, 2023
"Mina Loy, the mysterious figure who depicted wartime New York’s underbelly," The Art Newspaper, June 6, 2023
"New BCMA exhibition explores the multimedia rebellion of Mina Loy," Bowdoin Orient, May 5, 2023
"The World Is Finally Ready for Mina Loy," Hyperallergic, April 12, 2023
"First Retrospective of Poet and Artist Mina Loy," Fine Books & Collections, February 6, 2023