ARDEN + WHITE GALLERY is pleased to present Exhibit No. 02, a site-specific installation by German artist Kim Bartelt within the historic Gores Pavilion, the 1960 modernist landmark designed by Landis Gores, one of New Canaan's celebrated Harvard Five.
Few settings offer a more fitting context for Bartelt's work. Raised in Germany as the daughter of an architect, Bartelt grew up surrounded by the post-war architecture that emerged from the ideals of the Bauhaus movement. Principles championed by Walter Gropius — including clarity of form, material honesty, and the harmonious relationship between structure and environment — would profoundly influence a generation of architects on both sides of the Atlantic. Those same ideas ultimately found expression in New Canaan through the work of the Harvard Five, whose buildings established the town as one of the most significant centers of American modernism.
More than six decades after the Pavilion's completion, these parallel histories quietly converge.
Bartelt's practice transforms layered papers mounted to linen into compositions of remarkable precision, where bold fields of color, geometry, and rhythm are carefully balanced through an intuitive yet disciplined process. Installed within the Pavilion, the three principal works establish a striking visual presence, their confident use of color and measured compositions finding resonance with Gores' architecture. Shape, proportion, and symmetry become shared points of reference, allowing the paintings and the building to reinforce one another without either taking precedence. The central work, Balance, serves as a quiet anchor for the installation, reflecting the measured equilibrium that defines both Bartelt's compositions and the Pavilion itself.
This exhibition is not about illustrating architecture, nor about placing contemporary art within an iconic building. Rather, it reveals a shared architectural sensibility, one rooted in proportion, restraint, and the thoughtful orchestration of material, light, and space. While separated by geography and generation, Gores and Bartelt draw from a common modernist lineage, each demonstrating how carefully considered forms can shape our experience of the environments we inhabit.
Presented within Irwin Park, Exhibit No. 02 continues ARDEN + WHITE GALLERY's collaboration with the New Canaan Museum & Historical Society, reaffirming the Gores Pavilion as a place where contemporary artistic practice can engage meaningfully with one of New Canaan's important architectural landmarks. Each exhibition offers a renewed perspective on the Pavilion itself, demonstrating that architecture of enduring significance continues to inspire new creative conversations across disciplines and generations.
More than sixty years after its completion, the Gores Pavilion remains a powerful expression of modernist optimism. Through Bartelt's thoughtful intervention, the Pavilion is experienced anew, not simply as a historic work of architecture, but as a living space where ideas continue to evolve. Exhibit No. 02 celebrates the enduring relationship between art and architecture while revealing the unexpected connections that unite post-war Germany and New Canaan through a shared language of design.
An opening reception with the artist will be held at the Gores Pavilion on Thursday, July 9, from 5:00–6:30 PM. The event is free and open to the public.
Exhibit No. 02 will remain on view through July 31, 2026, and may be experienced from the exterior of the Gores Pavilion during Irwin Park's public hours, from dawn until dusk, or by private appointment through ARDEN + WHITE GALLERY. Appointments may be requested at gallery@ardenandwhitegallery.com.
