dieFirma announces Nadia Gould: Because I Am Young, Beautiful & Talented, a landmark solo exhibition of paintings and works on paper on view at 32A Cooper Square from Thursday, October 16, 2025 through Saturday, January 17, 2026. 

Unveiling work that has gone unseen for decades, this exhibition spans two distinct periods in Gould’s career. The show focuses on the intricate and lyrical geometric abstractions from the 1960s, and the exuberant representational murals of the 1980s. We encounter a fiercely independent artist, one whose commitment to her own curiosity rewards the viewer with surprising juxtapositions of color and form. 

Emerging from the fertile artistic milieu of Coenties Slip, Gould’s early abstractions feature lively arrangements built upon the elemental forms – circle, square and triangle. As with all of Gould’s work, the viewer is rewarded through time spent deeply looking. A quilted patchwork of squares and triangles gradually reveals its off-kilter composition. Kaleidoscopic paintings that at first appear to be a recognizably regular grid composed of bi-sected circles follow only the whim of Gould’s hand. Royal purples, avocado greens and cadmium reds vibrate acidly against one another as irregular shapes dance across the picture plane.

In the 1980s, Gould suddenly began incorporating figurative elements into her work. Her large-scale canvases from this period depict a series of spirited and playful figures. Birds, insects, and exotic animals join characters from art history and myth, often piled up with architectural references, forming complex dynamics. Humans and animals coexist within pastel bands of color which stabilize the composition, allowing their mysterious relationships to play out at their own pace. 

As her adult life became increasingly nomadic, Gould maintained a drawing practice throughout. This inherently mobile method of working allowed for continued artistic development and exploration throughout years of international moves, and gave Nadia a place to integrate the visual and philosophical influences of the cultures she encountered. A selection of these works on paper is highlighted in the center of the gallery within a custom-built atelier. The viewer is invited into the sanctum of Gould’s imagination, free to weave together diverse influences into new combinations, much as she did.