David Zwirner is pleased to present an exhibition of early paintings by Robert Ryman (1930–2019) at the gallery's 537 West 20th Street location in New York. Curated by Dieter Schwarz and organized in collaboration with the artist's estate, the exhibition focuses on the seminal years of 1961–1964. Composed primarily of significant loans from museums and private collections in the United States and Europe, this will be one of the most extensive looks at this fundamental moment in Ryman's career.

The presentation includes representative works that explore all facets of Ryman's experimental approach to painting during this time, from his use of thick impasto brushstrokes on both stretched and unstretched canvas; to small- and large-scale paintings that include surprising incidents of color; and a group of rarely seen works on raw linen, each featuring one or several seemingly complete, independent compositions. This expansive investigation of Ryman's paintings from a formative moment will further elucidate many of the fundamental ideas that he would continue to explore throughout his prolific sixty-year career.

This exhibition follows Robert Ryman: The Last Paintings in 2022, the gallery's first presentation of works by the artist since announcing representation of the Estate of Robert Ryman in spring 2021. A complementary exhibition exploring Ryman's drawings will be held concurrently at David Zwirner London. David Zwirner Books will also publish a major catalogue on the artist focusing on this exhibition and the artist's work from the early 1960s, which will include new scholarship by Schwarz and Lucy Lippard, among others.

Press release courtesy David Zwirner.