Fabienne Verdier

Published alongside Fabienne Verdier’s October 2020 exhibition, ‘Vortex’, at Waddington Custot, London, this catalogue debuts new paintings made by the artist in response to Mozart’s arias, which she pictures as a dynamic, whirling helix. This unique series extends Verdier’s research into the affinity between music and art, begun whilst artist-in-residence at The Juilliard School, New York, in 2014.

An engaging new text by Wells Fray-Smith (Whitechapel Gallery) explores how
Verdier adopts the breathing techniques employed by sopranos and
contextualises her work within the field of abstract painting. Professor Simon Shaw-Miller (University of Bristol) contributes an essay about the cultural and art historical correspondence between music and art, via examples from the Renaissance to jazz. Accompanying these is a conversation between Verdier and writer Ellen Mara De Wachter, which delves deeper into the metaphysical aspects of the artist’s work.Together with drawings and extracts from Verdier’s notebooks, alongside numerous vivid illustrations, this publication offers an immersive experience of the artist’s work and establishes her invaluable contribution to contemporary thought and painting.