On Kawara

Private Art Gallery Visit Series

December 11th, 2024 @ David Zwirner

Columbia alumni were welcomed by David Zwirner Gallery sales associate Elie de Gourcoff for a private guided tour of the early relatively unknown works by Japanese conceptual artist On Kawara (1932-2014).

The show features four rarely seen early paintings made by Kawara in Tokyo in 1955 and 1956. For the young artist, an active and vocal participant in the city’s avant-garde art community, painting provided an avenue for thinking through the palpable collective trauma that loomed over his native country in the postwar years. Kawara quickly distinguished himself from his peers; rather than depicting atrocities that remained fresh in the minds of Japanese citizens, the artist chose to evoke their psychological resonances, marshaling form and content in service of one another to channel the elusive feelings of unease, anger, and disillusionment. These enigmatic and highly accomplished works, which count among the earliest known instances of an artist working on shaped canvases, simultaneously seem to collapse and expand space, drastically unmooring the viewer’s understanding of perspective and testifying to the experience of a particular time and place.

There is a parallel show at David Zwirner London, featuring On Kawara’s “Date Paintings”.

The visit included access to the Viewing Rooms and offices featuring works by Sherrie Levine, Josef Albers, and others.

Untitled, 1955

ABOUT THE SERIES

Many art enthusiasts among our alumni have expressed a desire to explore contemporary art and understand the process of building an art collection, often wondering, “Where do I even begin?”

This series was created to address these questions and more. Each visit includes a guided tour led by an artist or curator, followed by a discussion at a Paris art gallery. It provides a unique opportunity for alumni and galleries to connect, fostering meaningful relationships around the world of contemporary art.

Posted by Victor Schaub Wong ’91 GSAPP