New York-based artist Richard Nonas finally gets the reception he deserves this month at Fergus McCaffrey Gallery with the opening of his new self-titled solo exhibition. Though the artist’s earthy, natured-based work has sometimes slipped through the cracks of enthusiasts in favor of more recognizable names like Richard Serra and Carl Andre, the ideas of space and nature in this wide-ranging show demonstrates his pivotal impact on the post-minimalist movement.
A view of the installation
Nonas began sculpting at age 30 following a short-lived career as an anthropologist, seeking to explore the relationships between the earth, culture and art. Working out of the same Tribeca studio he’s had since the 1970s, the artist uses materials like steel rods, wooden beams, groupings of stones and steel slabs to create large-scale juxtapositions that seem to interrupt the spaces in which they’re placed. If Nonas’ work seems repetitive, look closer—he often creates the exact same or similar pieces using different materials, noting the way a viewer might react in a new way to, say, a wood surface than an iron one.
A view of the installation
The exhibition spans Nonas’ work from 1970 right up to 2014, giving a broad look at his progression as a post-minimalist artist over time.
Richard Nonas is on display at Fergus McCaffrey through October 25, 2014.
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