THOMAS NOZKOWSKI

Early Years

Born in Teaneck, New Jersey, in 1944 and raised in Dumont, Nozkowski was introduced to art by his aunt, a schoolteacher who provided him with art supplies as a child. He attended Cooper Union in New York City, graduating with a BFA in 1967. Initially working as a sculptor, Nozkowski shifted to painting in the early 1970s, seeking an alternative to the dominant large-scale abstraction of the era. He chose to work at a modest scale, producing paintings that could fit in small apartments and on easels, a decision that became central to his practice.

Thomas Nozkowski Artworks

Nozkowski’s paintings and drawings are distinguished by their abstract forms, which are often derived from everyday experiences, landscapes, and objects, filtered through memory and imagination. Rather than working from preparatory sketches, Nozkowski allowed each painting to evolve directly on the canvas, resulting in compositions that are both spontaneous and meticulously resolved.

His visual language is marked by a blend of biomorphic and geometric shapes, playful notations, and unexpected juxtapositions of colour and form. Nozkowski’s works resist easy interpretation, instead inviting viewers to engage in an open-ended process of looking and discovery. He was known for his ‘anti-masterpiece’ stance, favouring daily production and subtle innovation over grand gestures.

Notable Series and Exhibitions

• ‘16 x 20-inch Paintings’: Nozkowski’s signature format, developed in the 1970s, allowed for a focused exploration of abstraction on an intimate scale.
• The Last Paintings (2021): A posthumous exhibition at Pace Gallery featuring the final 15 paintings completed before his death, exemplifying his lifelong engagement with colour, line, and form.
• Everything in the World (2024): A major survey at Pace Gallery, New York, highlighting his output from the 1970s and 1980s, including rarely seen large-scale canvases and painted wood sculptures.

Select Awards and Accolades

• Guggenheim Fellowship for Creative Arts (1993)
• Award in Painting, American Academy of Arts and Letters (1999)
• President’s Citation, Cooper Union (2008)
• Elected member, American Academy of Arts and Letters (2010)

Collections

Nozkowski’s works are held in prominent public collections, including:

• Museum of Modern Art, New York
• Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
• Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
• Brooklyn Museum, New York
• Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.
• San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
• Art Institute of Chicago
• Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal

Exhibitions

Thomas Nozkowski’s paintings have been featured in over 300 museum and gallery exhibitions worldwide, including more than 80 solo shows. Below is a selection.

Solo Exhibitions (selected):

• Everything in the World, Pace Gallery, New York (2024)
• The Last Paintings, Pace Gallery, New York (2021)
• Survey, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa (2009)
• Retrospective of Works on Paper, New York Studio School (2003)
• Survey, Ludwig Museum, Cologne (2007)
• Survey, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. (1987)

Group Exhibitions (selected):

• Main Exhibition, 52nd Venice Biennale (2007)
• Reinventing Abstraction: New York Painting in the 1980s, Cheim & Read, New York (2013)
• High Times, Hard Times: New York Painting 1967–1975, National Academy Museum, New York (2006)

More Reading

Nozkowski’s work has been widely discussed in leading publications including The Brooklyn Rail, Artforum, The New York Times, and Art in America. His influence is noted by critics and artists alike for his “painter’s painter” status and his commitment to innovation within self-imposed constraints.

Thomas Nozkowski FAQs

Ocula | 2025