Gary Komarin: Post-Painterly Abstraction's Open-Ended Legacy
Gary Komarin, a painter based in New York City, is the son of a Czech architect and a Viennese writer. His artistic approach emphasizes uncertainty and abstraction driven by process. Utilizing materials such as industrial tarps and latex paint, his creations pulse with instinctual energy. He employs recurring imagery as associative triggers. Komarin's notable achievements include a solo show at the Musée Kiyoharu in Japan and contributions to exhibitions at the Musée d'Art Classique de Mougins, 41 Greene Street in 1996, and a Dublin exhibition in 2009. His artwork is featured in collections like the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna and the Denver Art Museum. He holds an MFA from Boston University and resides in Roxbury, Connecticut.
Key facts
- Gary Komarin was born in New York City to a Czech architect father and a Viennese writer mother.
- He uses humble materials like industrial tarps, drop cloths, brown paper, latex house paint, and spackle.
- His solo museum exhibition at Musée Kiyoharu in Japan had catalog 'Moon Flows like a Willow' organized by Yoshii Foundation.
- In 1996, his work appeared at 41 Greene Street alongside Basquiat, Guston, and Traylor.
- In 2009, he exhibited in Dublin with Motherwell and Caro; one painting acquired by Museo d’Arte Contemporanea di Roma.
- In 2016, he was included in a Denver exhibition with Joan Mitchell and Manuel Neri.
- His work is in collections including Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna, Denver Art Museum, MFA Houston, MCASD, and Microsoft.
- He earned an MFA from Boston University and worked with Philip Guston as a graduate teaching fellow.
- Awards include Joan Mitchell Prize, NYFA Grant, Edward Albee Fellowship, Elizabeth Foundation Prize, Benjamin Altman Prize.
- Harry Moses made the short film 'The Painter's Path' about Komarin; he also appeared in Clyfford Still documentary.
- He lives and works in Roxbury, Connecticut.
Entities
Artists
- Gary Komarin
- Jean-Michel Basquiat
- Philip Guston
- Bill Traylor
- Robert Motherwell
- Sir Anthony Caro
- Joan Mitchell
- Manuel Neri
- Clyfford Still
- Spalding Gray
- Harry Moses
Institutions
- Musée Kiyoharu
- Yoshii Foundation
- Musée d’Art Classique de Mougins
- Kit Mandor
- 41 Greene Street
- Museo d’Arte Contemporanea di Roma
- Denver Art Museum
- Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna
- Museum of Fine Arts Houston
- Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego
- Boise Art Museum
- Montclair Art Museum
- Newark Museum
- Zimmerli Museum
- MAMBO
- Microsoft
- New York Studio School
- School of Visual Arts
- Brooklyn Museum School
- Boston University
- National Academy of Design Museum
- Clyfford Still Museum
- 60 Minutes
Locations
- New York City
- United States
- United Kingdom
- Europe
- Asia
- Japan
- Tokyo
- Paris
- France
- Mougins
- Dublin
- Denver
- Rome
- Bogotá
- Houston
- San Diego
- Boise
- Montclair
- Newark
- New York
- London
- Zurich
- Madrid
- Los Angeles
- Roxbury
- Connecticut
Sources
- AATONAU —