Blair Thurman on Romantic Minimalism and His Garage Italia Show

American artist Blair Thurman (b. 1961, New Orleans; lives in New York) held a solo exhibition titled 'Nell'acqua azzurra' at Garage Italia in Milan, coinciding with his presence at miart in the booth of Zurich- and Auvernier-based gallery lange + pult. The show marked Garage Italia's collaboration with Gagosian, initiated by collector Lapo Elkann. Thurman, whose mother directed the ICA Boston and whose father was an artist, worked for ten years with Nam June Paik, participating in two Venice Biennales. His exhibition features works from 2008 to 2018, including 'Mr. White' (2008) and 'Profondo Rosso' (2018), the latter an homage to Dario Argento's film. Thurman's practice blends minimalist forms with reflective paints, aluminum, and asphalt, influenced by Steve Parrino. He cites Donald Judd, Imi Knoebel, and Martial Raysse as references, and his titles often have a playful quality. The artist works on site and sees his paintings as part of a family lineage. He is fascinated by Italy, particularly Umbria and Perugia, and enjoys driving through Europe's short distances.