Thomas Nozkowski @ Pace Gallery, New York

Thomas Nozkowski: 16 x 20
Pace Gallery, New York
January 19 – February 17, 2018

THOMAS NOZKOWSKI 

Untitled (7-10), 1992 

Oil on canvas board, 16” x 20” (40.6 cm x 50.8 cm)

© Thomas Nozkowski

Pace Gallery presents an exhibition of paintings by THOMAS NOZKOWSKI, marking the gallery’s sixth solo show by the artist since 2007. The exhibition draws together approximately 25 paintings that span four decades of the artist’s career, from the 1970s through the early 2000s. Each of the vibrantly colored abstract paintings in the exhibition measures 16 x 20 inches – a common canvas size that the artist has used extensively throughout his career. Thomas Nozkowski: 16 x 20 will be on view at 510 West 25th Street, with an opening reception for the artist held on Friday, January 19 from 6 – 8 pm.

The first monograph of Nozkowski’s work was published in fall 2017 by Lund Humphries. Written by poet, art critic, and curator John Yau, Thomas Nozkowski is part of the publisher’s new series Contemporary Painters, edited by art critic Barry Schwabsky.

THOMAS NOZKOWSKI

Untitled (7-127), 1999 

Oil on linen on panel, 16” x 20” (40.6 cm x 50.8 cm) 

© Thomas Nozkowski

While abstract in style, each of Thomas Nozkowski’s paintings is rooted in a specific experience, event or place that the artist has encountered. Early on in his career, Nozkowski began to work on a 16 x 20-inch surface – consciously distancing himself from the dominance of gestural painting embodied by the Abstract Expressionists and countering the common critical proclamation of abstract painting’s end. By focusing himself on a small canvas, he deliberately constrained the possibility of the gesture and drew himself closer to the painting’s surface. As his practice has evolved from a concentration on biomorphic and geometric shapes to a more recent use of patterns and broken grids, Nozkowski has repeatedly used the 16 x 20-inch format to explore these complex and varied concerns. This exhibition will provide a rare overview of these paintings, which have not been gathered together in a focused exhibition for over a decade.

“I like paintings that balance contradictions. I like paintings that look clear and simple at first glance and then sort of crumble under your gaze. And it’s even better if further looking enables you to put it together again, understand it in a new way.”—Thomas Nozkowski

THOMAS NOZKOWSKI (b. 1944, Teaneck, New Jersey) is recognized for his richly colored and intimately scaled abstract paintings and drawings that push the limits of visual language. His artistic strategy stems from an awareness of perception and the desire to explore the possibilities of seeing, at once grounded in reality and released from specific legibility. His concurrent practices of painting and drawing reflect on specific places and experiences—from the deeply symbolic to the notational—translating sensations and memories into abstract compositions. Through this process, Thomas Nozkowski often returns to certain ideas across several discrete works, devoting weeks, months, or, in some cases, years exploring the full range of possibilities for a given form, color, or gesture. To date, Thomas Nozkowski’s paintings have been featured in more than 300 museum and gallery exhibitions worldwide, including over 70 solo shows. Thomas Nozkowski lives and works in High Falls, New York. He has been represented by Pace since 2007.

PACE GALLERY
510 West 25th Street, New York NY 10001
www.pacegallery.com