“40 Acres and a Unicorn” (2007) by Noah Davis
On View presents images from noteworthy exhibitions
SIXTEEN PAINTINGS by Noah Davis (1983-2015) are on view at David Zwirner London. Dating from 2007 to 2015, the selection surveys the wide range of pictures Davis produced during his brief career. “His paintings are both figurative and abstract, realistic and dreamlike; they are about blackness and the history of Western painting, drawn from photographs and from life; they are exuberant and doleful in their palette. They tend toward the ravishing,” curator Helen Molesworth wrote in “Noah Davis.” The solo show marks the first presentation of the artist’s work in the United Kingdom. CT
“Noah Davis,” curated by Helen Molesworth, is on view at David Zwirner Gallery in London, from Oct. 8-Nov. 17, 2021
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Installation view of “Noah Davis,” David Zwirner London, Oct. 8-Nov. 17, 2021. Shown, From left, “The Conductor” (2014) and “Pueblo del Rio: Vernon” (2014). | © Estate of Noah Davis, Courtesy Estate of Noah Davis and David Zwirner
Installation view of “Noah Davis,” David Zwirner London, Oct. 8-Nov. 17, 2021. Shown, “Sugartown,” 2011 (oil on canvas, 93 x 62 inches / 236.2 x 157.5 cm). | © Estate of Noah Davis, Courtesy Estate of Noah Davis and David Zwirner
Installation view of “Noah Davis,” David Zwirner London, Oct. 8-Nov. 17, 2021. Shown, At left, “The Year of the Coxswain,” 2009 (oil on canvas; Image: 48 1/2 x 48 1/2 inches / 123.2 x 123.2 cm). | © Estate of Noah Davis, Courtesy Estate of Noah Davis and David Zwirner
NOAH DAVIS, “Mary Jane,” 2008 (oil and acrylic on canvas, 60 x 52 1/4 inches / 152.4 x 132.7 cm; Framed: 61 3/8 x 53 5/8 inches / 155.9 x 136.2 cm). | © Estate of Noah Davis, Courtesy Estate of Noah Davis and David Zwirner
Installation view of “Noah Davis,” David Zwirner London, Oct. 8-Nov. 17, 2021. | © Estate of Noah Davis, Courtesy Estate of Noah Davis and David Zwirner
NOAH DAVIS, “Bad Boy for Life,” 2007 (acrylic, gouache, and conte crayon on canvas, 30 x 30 inches / 76.2 x 76.2 cm). | © Estate of Noah Davis, Courtesy Estate of Noah Davis and David Zwirner
Installation view of “Noah Davis,” David Zwirner London, Oct. 8-Nov. 17, 2021. Shown, From left, “Another Balcony” (2009), “Congo #7” (2014), and “Golden Boy” (2010). | © Estate of Noah Davis, Courtesy Estate of Noah Davis and David Zwirner
Installation view of “Noah Davis,” David Zwirner London, Oct. 8-Nov. 17, 2021. Shown, From left, “Leni Riefenstahl” (2010) and “Congo” (2015). | © Estate of Noah Davis, Courtesy Estate of Noah Davis and David Zwirner
Installation view of “Noah Davis,” David Zwirner London, Oct. 8-Nov. 17, 2021. Shown, From left, “Indigo Kid” (2010). The exhibition features an homage to The Underground Museum, the Los Angeles art space Noah Davis co-founded with his wife, artist Karon Davis. The installation includes a sculpture by Karon Davis (center). | © Estate of Noah Davis, Courtesy Estate of Noah Davis and David Zwirner
Installation view of “Noah Davis,” David Zwirner London, Oct. 8-Nov. 17, 2021. Shown, The Underground Museum installation includes “BLKNWS,” a video work by Kahlil Joseph, Davis’s brother. | © Estate of Noah Davis, Courtesy Estate of Noah Davis and David Zwirner
TOP IMAGE: NOAH DAVIS, “40 Acres and a Unicorn,” 2007 (acrylic and gouache on canvas, 30 x 26 inches / 76.2 x 66 cm). | © Estate of Noah Davis, Courtesy Estate of Noah Davis and David Zwirner
BOOKSHELF
The London exhibition of Noah Davis includes “Forty Acres and a Mule” (2007). The painting graces the cover of “Noah Davis,” the artist’s first monograph, published last year. A new publication is forthcoming. Published on the occasion of the current exhibition, it will feature an essay by writer and musician Greg Tate and a conversation moderated by Molesworth with curator Thomas Lax, artists Glenn Ligon and Julie Mehretu, and poet/scholar Fred Moten. Davis is also featured in the exhibition catalog “30 Americans:Rubell Family Collection.”
