ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Artists and Critics Pay Tribute to Painter Thomas Nozkowski's Legacy and Influence

artist · 2026-04-22

A series of tributes pays homage to painter Thomas Nozkowski, who passed away in 2019. Renowned for his small-scale abstract works, he crafted a distinctive visual vocabulary over a span of fifty years, first attracting attention in the late 1970s at the 55 Mercer Street gallery in New York. Contributors point out that his intimate scale served as a form of political expression. David Cohen reminisces about curating a retrospective in 2003, while Karen Wilkin shares insights on a piece from the early 1990s. Robert Storr highlights Nozkowski's experience as a layout artist for Mad magazine. Catherine Murphy describes his work as radically ambitious, and tributes also reflect on his generosity, knowledge, and enduring marriage to Joyce Robins.

Key facts

  • Thomas Nozkowski was an American abstract painter known for small-scale works.
  • He died in 2019, prompting a series of published tributes.
  • His work first gained significant attention in the late 1970s at 55 Mercer Street gallery in New York.
  • Nozkowski insisted on intimate painting scale as an ethical and political choice.
  • He worked as a layout artist for Mad magazine to support his painting practice.
  • A 2003 retrospective of his drawings was held at the New York Studio School.
  • Raphael Rubinstein included him in the 2013 exhibition 'Reinventing Abstraction' at Cheim & Read Gallery.
  • John Yau authored a monograph on Nozkowski published by Lund Humphries.

Entities

Artists

Institutions

  • Artcritical
  • New York Studio School
  • Max Protech Gallery
  • 55 Mercer Street Gallery
  • Triangle Artists' Workshop
  • Cheim & Read Gallery
  • Sidney Janis Gallery
  • Nature Morte
  • Artforum
  • Pace Gallery
  • Andrew Kreps Gallery
  • Art Omi
  • American Academy of Arts and Letters
  • Lund Humphries
  • Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
  • Mad magazine
  • Friends of the Shawangunks
  • Chess Records
  • artcritical

Locations

  • New York
  • United States
  • High Falls
  • New York State
  • Gent
  • Tribeca
  • New York City
  • Chicago
  • Illinois
  • London
  • United Kingdom
  • Hester Street
  • Shawangunks

Sources