Hauser & Wirth Institute

About the Presentation
Hauser & Wirth Institute will present selections from two artists' archives they've recently supported: Zahoor ul Akhlaq (1941-1999) and Mary Dill Henry (1913 - 2009).

Zahoor ul Akhlaq is one of Pakistan’s best-known and most influential artists. An early experimenter in installation and sculptural forms, the artist is perhaps most famous for combining a keen awareness of abstraction and artistic modernism with the traditions of calligraphy and miniature painting. In 2021, the Institute awarded a grant to Asia Art Archive to process, digitize and make available the artist's papers. The selection of material at Independent 20th Century will be curated by John Tain, head of research at Asia Art Archive.

Mary Dill Henry studied with László Moholy-Nagy in Chicago at the 'New Bauhaus' before taking a break from her art practice to raise her family and work in design. She recommitted herself to painting later in life, becoming known for her geometric abstract work in her adopted home of the Pacific Northwest. The Institute cataloged and digitized the Henry Papers as part of its In-House Archiving Program, which provides free processing for artists and art organizations. In 2022, the cataloged collection was donated to Paul V. Galvin Library’s University Archives and Special Collections at Illinois Institute of Technology, Henry's alma mater.

About the Institute
Hauser & Wirth Institute is a non-profit, private foundation dedicated to transforming the field of artists’ archives by nurturing equity and innovation and increasing access to archives. Operating independently of commercial interests, the Institute provides grants for progressive archival projects and education, fosters networks locally and internationally and organizes public programming that enlivens and expands conversations around artistic legacies.