STAFF PICKS : Second Edition

Dear Art Lovers, 

We are pleased to present a selection of favorites from David Nolan Gallery’s artist program and collection. Through daily engagement with the gallery's works, we have developed unique connections with these pieces and are thrilled to share our personal curations here with you. Under the umbrella of David's sharp taste, there are endless themes and narratives to be discovered and presented. Below you will find three selections that reveal how distinct preferences, styles, and moods can coexist in one larger collection.  

Warmly,

Ruth, Tharini, and Antoine 

Personal Space

For this edition of Staff Picks, I have chosen works based on the theme of visual and imaginative stimulation. Thanks to David's encouragement for us to curate our own workspaces, a few of these pieces currently hang above my desk at the gallery. Often my favorite works of art are meaningful to me because of their symbolism or art historical significance. However, when it comes to works I would display in my home or workspace, my concern for intellectual or academic value is superseded by the work's formal qualities and those qualities' ability to serve my emotions and imagination. The pieces I will glance at, get lost in, and stare blankly at throughout the day need to be visually satisfying and creatively engaging. Below are seven works I find to have digestible color palettes, dynamic compositions, and captivating subject matter.  For example, my selection includes an Albers print I can look to for order and tranquility, while Richard Artschwager's work is pleasurably dizzying, and the Kendrick is a masterpiece in the art of organized chaos. Each work scratches a different part of the brain, coming together to create a functional collection for any home or office. In our own private rooms and work-spaces, instead of bouncing off the walls, our emotions can run free and find solace in any one of these works at any given moment. 

Let There Be Light 

Let There Be Light is a selection of works by gallery artists in which light, whether in material, symbolic, or atmospheric form, is the unifying element. Not all of these artists work with light directly, but in each work, it reveals itself. 

Rodolfo Abularach's 6 Lights Ascending is a direct invocation. David Hartt's tapestry radiates with sunburst hues, while the faint moonlight in Grosz's Night Allegory holds the scene in its stillness. Serban Savu focuses on the shadow, while pointing to the light beyond. In Artschwager's Untitled (Red Bookcase), a single glowing lamp anchors the work. Rockburne's drawing seems to radiate heat, and Pasta's painting captures the liminal skylight between day and night. 

The title, taken from the biblical phrase which marks the beginning of creation, alludes to light as something spiritual, and essential. 

As the world seemingly descends into darkness, light, as ever, persists. 

Nicknames 

Each day at the gallery, I handle numerous works, and we typically refer to them by their inventory numbers or titles. However, certain pieces have acquired nicknames over time; sometimes due to their unique or uncanny imagery, or because of memorable events they’re associated with.

One such example is a profoundly odd and tortuous drawing by Erwin Pfrang, which we always refer to as “The Baby” (Untitled, 2023).

Using a synecdoche (where a part represents the whole) we collectively nicknamed George Grosz’s (Stickman, 1946)“The Pride Flag”, due to the uncanny resemblance between the flag depicted in the work and the LGBTQ+ emblem.

I’ve been referring to Jonathan Meese’s (Untitled, 1993–94) as the “Beuys Portrait”, though I’m not certain the artist actually intended it as such (though I’d guess he did). The figure’s iconic hat consistently reminds me of the shaman-like presence of Joseph Beuys.

Chakaia Booker’s (Empty Seat, 2006) is an imposing, large-scale work that required considerable efforts to install in our gallery. When I refer to this stunning piece, sometimes with a choice expletive, my colleagues instantly know which work I mean, as it’s forever linked to one of our most challenging and memorable installations.