Artists and Critics Pay Tribute to Painter Thomas Nozkowski's Legacy and Influence
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
- Thomas Nozkowski
- David Cohen
- Karen Wilkin
- Robert Storr
- Joseph Masheck
- Jonathan Lasker
- Merlin James
- James Hyde
- Raphael Rubinstein
- Valerie Jaudon
- Catherine Murphy
- Jennifer Riley
- Sally Saul
- Suzanne Joelson
- Harry Roseman
- John Yau
- David Goerk
- Alain Kirili
- Peter Saul
- Elizabeth Hazan
- Peter Schjeldahl
- Richard Kalina
- Joyce Robins
- Garth Lewis
- Brice Marden
- Richard Serra
- Mike Metz
- Gary Stephan
- Ruth Root
- Michael Attias
- Mary Halvorson
- Jane Freilicher
- John Ashbery
- Bi Gan
- Mikio Naruse
- Gregory La Cava
- Jim Leonard
- Marshall Chess
- Howard Hawks
- John Ford
- Jože Plečnik
- Ellsworth Kelly
- Willem de Kooning
- Marjorie Welish
- Richard Kalin
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