BMA Presents New Exhibition by Internationally Acclaimed Artist Tomas Saraceno

BALTIMORE, MD (September 6, 2017)—The Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) has commissioned a major new work by internationally acclaimed artist Tomás Saraceno for an exhibition that will dramatically change the East Lobby and several galleries. Tomás Saraceno: Entangled Orbits, on view October 1, 2017 through June 2018, brings together a group of fascinating sculptural works by the Argentinian artist and trained architect who is also a pioneer in scanning, reconstructing, and reimagining spider webs and possesses the only three-dimensional spider web collection in existence.

The centerpiece of the exhibition is Entangled Orbits, which combines clusters of iridescent-paneled modules suspended within a net of strings reminiscent of a “spider web.” It will be woven on-site across a two-story open area in the East Lobby. This work is accompanied by three installations in the European Art galleries that further demonstrate the artist’s interest in structures of the natural world—clouds, bubbles, and spider webs. These include an elaborate sculptural spider web made by two species of spiders and encased in a suspended vitrine, abstract sculptures that recall planetary systems and early 20th-century modernist designs, and a complex installation of suspended iridescent inflatables anchored with a web of strings that visitors will navigate through in the gallery. These works are on view through April 29, 2018.

“Entangled Orbits demonstrates the museum’s commitment to presenting work by living artists in public spaces and the idea that art should be the first thing you see when you enter the museum and the last thing as you leave,” said BMA Dorothy Wagner Wallis Director Christopher Bedford. “This commission is the first bold expression of that commitment.”

“Tomás Saraceno, his studio team, and an expert group from the BMA have spent many hours developing a highly complex and fascinating series of installations that will transform a number of the museum’s spaces in thoroughly unexpected ways,” said BMA Senior Curator of Contemporary Art Kristen Hileman. “The result will be sculptural environments that immerse visitors in a magical combination of art, architecture, and science.”

Tomás Saraceno: Entangled Orbits is generously sponsored by the Richard C. von Hess Foundation. Additional support is provided by Joanne Gold and Andrew Stern

About the Baltimore Museum of Art

Founded in 1914, the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) inspires people of all ages and backgrounds through exhibitions, programs, and collections that tell an expansive story of art—challenging long-held narratives and embracing new voices. Our outstanding collection of more than 97,000 objects spans many eras and cultures and includes the world’s largest public holding of works by Henri Matisse; one of the nation’s finest collections of prints, drawings, and photographs; and a rapidly growing number of works by contemporary artists of diverse backgrounds. The museum is also distinguished by a neoclassical building designed by American architect John Russell Pope and two beautifully landscaped gardens featuring an array of modern and contemporary sculpture. The BMA is located three miles north of the Inner Harbor, adjacent to the main campus of Johns Hopkins University, and has a community branch at Lexington Market. General admission is free so that everyone can enjoy the power of art.