Finding 19: Hilla Rebay Installation Directions

This illustration is part of a series of sketches created by Hilla Rebay to document how to install an exhibition. The instructions describe an aesthetic way to balance the wall arrangement, emphasizing that the “center must embrace the outside.” Her instructions become more detailed as she demonstrates how to achieve balance and harmony in the process, emphasizing that “all must fit their neighbor red and must be in harmony with red.” Rebay believed that the composition of individual paintings was important. However, the relationship created between paintings was also a significant part of the viewing experience.

—Martha Horan, archives assistant