American artist Noah Davis's (1983-2015) body of work
encompasses, on the one hand, his lush, sensual figurative
paintings and, on the other, an ambitious institutional project
called the Underground Museum, a black-owned-and-operated art space
dedicated to the exhibition of museum-quality art in a culturally
underserved African American and Latinx neighborhood in Los
Angeles.
Helen Molesworth is a Los Angeles-based writer and curator.
While chief curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles,
she forged a partnership with the Underground Museum and organized
the exhibitions Kahlil Joseph: Double Consciousness (2015) and Noah
Davis: Imitation of Wealth (2015).
"The catalog is a deep dive into the life and work of an insanely
ambitious and talented artist who died way too soon" -- "The New
York Times"
"Learning more about Noah Davis as I read his self-titled book --
and the community of artists for whom he has posthumously provided
a platform -- reminds me to relish the group of young Black
creatives I see creating impactful work today, in real
time."--Utibe Mbagwu "New York magazine"
"Published on the occasion of the 2020 exhibition at David Zwirner
New York, this book is a comprehensive compendium of the late Noah
Davis's poignant and extraordinary oeuvre."--Allison Schaller and
Danielle Walsh "Vanity Fair"
"A new show at David Zwirner could secure the legacy of his 'mad
genius' for years to come."--Taylor Dafoe "Artnet News"
"Context and legacy aside, the paintings are marvelous. Primarily
figurative, they're narratively and emotionally murky yet fiercely
charged with heat."--Wallace Ludel "Cultured Magazine"
"Davis's paintings have a dreamlike magnetism."--Scott Indrisek
"Artsy"
"His works [are]... sumptuously surreal..."--Dessane Lopez Cassell
"Hyperallergic"
"The exhibition... establishes him as one of the signal figurative
painters of the era, and a once-in-a-generation colorist."--Andrew
Russeth "Surface"
"The show [at David Zwirner New York] is so good--yet so poignantly
final--that it leaves you feeling both euphoric and wretched... As
art, it stands alone, 100 percent persuasive. But it also reminds
us that Davis won't be producing more paintings. And that
hurts."--Sebastian Smee "The Washington Post"
"This social and artistic evidence of Noah Davis' legend is there
for all to see at Zwirner..."--Piotr Orlov "AFROPUNK"
"What's remarkable about Davis' work is that he's very ahead of the
curve on a sort of flat figurative painting that's absolutely
dominated the 21st century."--Jerry Saltz "New York Magazine"
Ask a Question About this Product More... |