Max Gimblett: The Beginning of Time
Opening reception: Saturday February 11, 3-5 pm
In the spirit of impermanence — one of the core precepts of Buddhism—artworks in this solo show of the work of the 87-year-old Rinzai Zen monk Max Gimblett will rotate in and out of the galleries throughout the run of the exhibition. Viewers, if they visit the gallery repeatedly, will find a completely different installation of new work each time they return.
Gimblett’s paintings are a unique and mindful hybrid of the New York school of abstract expressionism with traditions of manuscript illumination and icon painting, Asian calligraphy, kintsugi, and lacquerware. Masterful brushwork, an eccentric and sophisticated color sense, and sensuously glossy surfaces are punctuated with precious metals. Some of the sculptural panels – tondos, ovals, and his signature four-lobed quatrefoil – are completely and idiosyncratically gilded in various types of gold or platinum, referring to the universality of devotional objects. With these very contemporary works, his intention is the marriage of Modernism with mysticism. Every work in this exhibition is an altarpiece; each is an offering.
Born in Auckland, New Zealand in 1935, Gimblett trained at the San Francisco Art Institute in the 1960s and has since lived, studied, traveled, taught, and exhibited extensively across the globe. His work is included in major museum collections worldwide, including the Guggenheim Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the National Gallery of Art (Washington, DC), the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, and the Auckland Art Gallery Toi O Tamaki. In 2022, The Getty Research Institute’s internationally renowned Artist’s Book Collection acquired the entire archive of Gimblett’s artist’s books, consisting of more than 250 unique sketchbooks and journals.
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Max GimblettThe Tempest, 2021acrylic on canvas70 x 70 in
177.8 x 177.8 cm -
Max Gimblett, At Every Step the Pure Wind Rises, 2022
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Max GimblettBirth, Death and Marriage, 2021acrylic on canvas and 23.75kt Rosanoble gold on panel50 x 50 inches
127 x 127 cms -
Max GimblettThe Library of Alexandria, 2022acrylic, resin, water-based size and Rosanoble gold leaf on poly-cotton canvas80 x 65 in
203.2 x 165.1 cm -
Max Gimblett, Sunrise - For Fra Angelico, 2022
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Max GimblettScript, 2022gesso, acrylic, resin, water-based size and Rosanoble gold leaf on canvas70 x 50 in
177.8 x 127 cm -
Max GimblettCoral, 2021gesso, acrylic, resin, water-based size and palladium leaf on burlap40 x 40 in
101.6 x 101.6 cm -
Max GimblettVigil, 2020acrylic, water-based size and platinum leaf on canvas70 x 70 in
177.8 x 177.8 cm -
Max GimblettIn the Air, 2021aluminum leaf, water-based size, epoxy, acrylic and gesso on panel70 x 70 in
177.8 x 177.8 cm -
Max GimblettAll That Came Before, 2022acrylic, resin, water-based size and Rosanoble gold leaf on canvas40 x 40 in
101.6 x 101.6 cm -
Max GimblettKarma, 2022acrylic, resin, oil size and Chinese pewter leaf on canvas and panel60 x 60 in
152.4 x 152.4 cm -
Max GimblettMoon Beam, 2020champagne gold leaf, water-based size, acrylic and gesso on canvas50 x 50 in
127 x 127 cm -
Max GimblettThe Door to Paradise, 2022gesso, resin and platinum leaf on wood panel40 x 40 x 2 in
101.6 x 101.6 x 5.1 cm -
Max GimblettThe Other Side, 2021champagne rose gold leaf, water-based size, epoxy, acrylic and gesso on canvas60 x 60 in
152.4 x 152.4 cm -
Max GimblettIn the Winds, 2022acrylic, water-based size and 18kt lemon gold leaf on poly-cotton canvas65 x 80 in
165.1 x 203.2 cm -
Max GimblettIn Praise of the Master, 2020gesso, resin, and 23.75kt Rosanoble gold leaf on wood panel30 x 30 in
76.2 x 76.2 cm -
Max GimblettDelphi, 2022acrylic on canvas70 x 50 in
177.8 x 127 cm -
Max GimblettLeave No Traces, 2022acrylic on poly-cotton canvas60 x 60 in
152.4 x 152.4 cm -
Max GimblettParadise After Tintoretto, 2014gesso, acrylic and vinyl polymers, Ex-74 resin, water-based size and silver leaf on canvas50 x 40 in
127 x 101.6 cm
