Ronald Davis
Biography:
Ron Davis was born in Santa Monica, California on June 29, 1937. Raised in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Student at the University of Wyoming in 1955-56. Worked as a sheet metal mechanic 1957-59. Found his calling as a painter in 1959 at the age of 22. Studied painting at the San Francisco Art Institute, 1960-64. Started painting as an abstract expressionist, the influences and elements of which would be incorporated into many of his future paintings. Yale-Norfolk Summer School of Music and Art grantee, 1962.
In 1963 began to paint in a hard-edge, geometric, optical style. Began showing his paintings at museums and galleries in 1964. Moved to Los Angeles. First one-man show at the Nicholas Wilder Gallery, LA in 1965. Made geometric shaped illusionistic paintings using colored polyester resins and fiberglass from 1966 until 1972. Instructor, University of California, Irvine, 1966.
First one-man show in New York at the Tibor de Nagy Gallery in 1966 followed by a solo show at Leo Castelli in 1968. Paintings acquired by the Museum of Modern Art, the Tate Gallery, London, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, San Francisco Museum of Art, and the Chicago Art Institute in 1968. National Endowment for the Arts grantee, 1968. Included in international exhihibitions: “4 Documenta International”, Ausstellung, Kasel, Germany. 1968, and “U. S. A., XXXVI International Biennial Exhibition of Art,” Venice, Italy, 1972.
Purchased a Buchla synthesizer and began sound sculpture and electronic music composition.
In 1972 built a 5000 sq. ft. studio/residence in Malibu, California. Collaborated in its design with architect Frank Gehry. This ground-breaking design went far in launching Gehry’s career as a “Post-Modernist.” Sold the Malibu studio in the early 1990s; sadly, it was destroyed in the November 2018 Woolsey fire.
Learned silkscreening, lithography, etching, and papermaking from Ken Tyler at Gemini, G. E. L. and Tyler Graphics, Bedford, New York. Returned to acrylic paint on canvas in 1973. In 1975-78 painted the large scale, geometric, and illusionistic Snapline Series. Painted Floater Series 1978-79; Flatland Series, 1980-81; Object Paintings, 1982; Music Series of abstract expressionist paintings in 1983-85; Freeway and Freeline Series 1987; Spiral Series 1988.
Began designing paintings on Macintosh computers in 1988 using VIDI’S 3-D rendering and animation programs, VIDI’s Modeler and Presenter 3D. Continued intensive involvement with the Macintosh using it as primary sketching and drawing tool.
Traveled to Taos, NM in 1990 and purchased a 10-acre lot north of Taos on the Hondo Mesa. Began building a complex of six living and studio buildings, the designs based upon the Navajo dwelling hogan, collaborating with architect Dennis Holloway and anthropologist Charles Cambridge. Discovered the relationship between the Hogan corbeled dome and prior work. Built a number of Hogan Frame Spirit House log sculptures and showed the 18’ diameter X 12’ high octagon Hondo Hogan in Los Angeles in 1991. Moved permanently to Arroyo Hondo, NM in 1993.
Began painting again in 1995, using the encaustic (wax) medium on wood to create illusionistic shaped compositions. In January, 1998 showed Wax Series at Jaquelin Loyd Contemporary in Taos. Built a 1,600-square-foot storage and display facility in 1999-2000 and liberated hundreds of archived paintings from commercial storage. Purchased cutting-edge 3-D programs Form•Z and Cinema 4D as a result of an ongoing fascination with three-dimensional computer modeling software, and spent a year learning new techniques. In summer 2000, completed Digital Painting series, a set of sixteen original giclée computer prints (some of which were created as early as 1993 in the earlier 3-D program Presenter Pro), working closely on production with Digital Color Imaging, Akron, Ohio.
On October 1, 2001, Davis began an unusual new series, breaking out of his thirty-year “perspective grid” for which he is widely known. Spent over a year creating more than sixty-five new paintings using expanded PVC plastic and Golden Acrylics, culminating in three exhibitions in summer 2002. Nine paintings from the new series were shown in August, 2002 in the exhibition Ronald Davis: Recent Abstractions at Philip Bareiss Fine Art, Taos; 24 were exhibited in a show by the same name in September 2002 at the Victoria Meyhren Gallery, University of Denver School of Art and Art History, Denver, Colorado.
Rectilinear Open Box, one of the first of the new series, was acquired by The Harwood Museum Foundation of Taos in November 2001.
In a broader survey exhibition entitled Ronald Davis: Forty Years of Abstraction, a total of forty paintings, sculptures, and prints spanning four decades – including the new 2001-2002 paintings and a selection of older works in various media – was shown at the Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, Ohio in October and November 2002. Collaborated in summer 2002 on design and pre-production of full-color 32-page printed catalog accompanying the exhibition. Full set of Digital Painting giclée prints acquired by the Butler Institute prior to the survey exhibiton, as well as a major painting, Five-Panel Wave, and two 1972 Gemini G.E.L. Still Life silkscreens in December 2002.
In 2003 and 2004, continued developing innovative digital paintings using Macintosh computers and advanced, updated 3D rendering software Form•Z and Cinema 4D, outputting original compositions to archival papers with archival inks.
Approached by Galerie Dionisi of West Hollywood, CA in summer 2004 and agreed to an exhibition of selected 1970s, 80s and 90s paintings in spring 2005. The gallery folded before most of the paintings were returned.
Exhibited the Music Series 1983-84 at the Harwood Museum Foundation, a retrospective curated by David Witt, November 2004, for which musical entertainment was provided by the late, great saxophonist Frank Morgan.
Provided rare photography and background history for Wilder, a tribute exhibition to legendary art dealer Nicholas Wilder at Franklin Parrasch and Washburn Galleries in New York City, 2005.
Took digital computer painting technique to the next level in 2005 with even more advanced 3D software techniques, enlarging the art and working closely with a North Carolina aluminum fabricator and printer to perfect the quality of fine art prints on metal including best practices for support, finish and framing; in effect, aiding the fabricator’s ongoing research and development.
Began a new series of digital works on aluminum in 2006, inspired by a first composition on metal incorporating an old Harry Truman clip-art image. Exhibited this and others in the series at New Gallery Houston/Thom Andriola, February 2006.
In 2007, John Elderfield, curator at MOMA NYC, installed the 1968 Dodecagon Series masterpiece, Ring, in the lobby above the information desk; it remained on view for a year and a half. The piece was aquired in 1968 for the museum’s permanent collection.
Exhibited 1980s Flatland series paintings at New Gallery Houston/Thom Andriola, 2007. Continued works on metal with the onset of the 2008 election season, culminating in All the Presidents’ Rooms, a set of digital collage prints on aluminum depicting every president since Washington as well as 2008 presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain. Created an audiovisual DVD presentation of All the Presidents’ Rooms with accompanying music. Finished two more new series of paintings on aluminum, the Minis and Midis.
Exhibited this new work at Eight Modern Contemporary in Santa Fe in a show entitled 3D-CG.
Exhibited a one-man retrospective at the failed New Gallery Houston/Thom Andriola, March 2008.
Hired a studio assistant in 2009 after decades of working alone. Produced a new series of paintings on expanded PVC plastic called Squares, Diamonds, Hexagons, and Shapes.
Featured in May, 2009 in Hopper at The Harwood, an exhibition hosted by The Harwood Museum in Taos curated by the late Dennis Hopper, who compiled a survey of selected works by California artist friends with whom he had worked and shared a place in art history.
Sent several 1965 Monochromatic series paintings, most never before shown, to Franklin Parrasch Gallery, NYC for a solo show in January 2010.
Began working relationship with Charlotte Jackson Fine Art, Santa Fe in fall 2009. Exhibited new Squares and Diamonds at Charlotte Jackson, fall 2010. Continued in 2010 with development of new digital works on aluminum, as well as several new shaped pieces on expanded PVC.
In October, 2011, traveled to Los Angeles, CA for a massive exhibition at the J. Paul Getty Museum in association with the Getty Research Foundation entitled “Pacific Standard Time: Crossroads in LA Painting and Sculpture,” for which the Tate Modern, London lent Vector, 1968 and the estate of Robert Rowan lent Black Tear, 1969, both from the iconic Dodecagon resin and fiberglass series; the exhibition traveled to Walter Gropius-Bau in Berlin, Feb. 2012.
Mounted a one-man show of new works on glass and aluminum, Pixeldust Renderings 2012. Exhibited in a few group shows at Charlotte Jackson in 2011, 2012 and 2013.
Mounted one-man exhibition at Hulse/Warman Gallery, Taos, NM: Staying Alive, September 2013. Through Nyehaus NY, sold nine legacy masterworks to the Andrew Hall Foundation, including resin Slabs, a resin Dodecagon and shaped canvas Mono-chromatic pieces.
In summer 2014, suffered a heart attack and severe concussion with brain bleed. After several months of successful healing and recuperation, returned to work on Pixeldust digital 3D works. In May 2015, mounted “Ronald Davis Unwrapped,” a show of older resin works and new digital renderings on glass at Hulse/Warman Gallery, Taos. Later in 2015, much recovered, made renovations to the Arroyo Hondo studio-residence, adding a Hogan Gallery and repairing the studio infrastructure in anticipation of thinking about yellow.
Represented by Nyehaus at UNTITLED.Art Fair, Miami Basel, Dec. 2015.
Mounted a show of watercolors, new Pixeldust works on aluminum, shaped paintings on PVC, and new 3D-printed staurolite sculptures in July 2016 at Hulse/Warman, Taos.
In October 2017, mounted a 40-painting retrospective, Divergent/Works, at the Harwood Museum of Art, Taos, curated by Dr. Richard Tobin and Gus Foster. Foster has donated more than a dozen Ronald Davis works to the Harwood Museum of Art.
Received a purchase grant in 2018 from the Barnett and Annalee Newman Foundation for legacy resin Slab Two-Thirds Yellow, 1966, to be donated to the Jewish Museum in New York City. The work will be shown in an exhibition titled The Wild in March, 2023 which includes other works from the same gift.
Began relationship in 2018 with Heather James Fine Art, Palm Desert, California.
In 2018 and 2019, exhibited in group shows at 203 Fine Art, Taos, NM; Studio 107-B, Taos; Vivian Horan Fine Art, NYC, and Charlotte Jackson Fine Art, Santa Fe NM.
Began relationship with 203 Fine Art, Taos, NM and mounted a solo survey exhibition spanning the 1960s through 2021 entitled Ronald Davis – Seven Decades, September 2021.
As a challenging diversion, in winter 2021 began new series of circular paintings on canvas. Wishing to “first find the center,” Davis employed his established hard-edge geometry and aggressive color, finishing 30 paintings the following year.
Began collaborative relationship with David-Richard Gallery and 203 Fine Art, planning two solo shows at David-Richard’s new location in Chelsea, NYC, the first on November 10, 2022, the second in 2023. Optical paintings from the 1960s – executed in Davis’s early San Francisco, Pasadena, and Los Angeles studios – will be featured first, with a broad survey of many others in 2023. Over the 2022 summer, 33 works in all were pulled from storage, assessed, catalogued, cleaned, sent to Santa Fe for conservation or restoration, and shipped to New York.
In his 85th year, in fairly good health, Davis continues to study and incorporate new software, new technologies, and new drawing and rendering techniques into ideas for new paintings.
Résumé:
Solo Exhibitions
2022 Early Optical, Shaped and Color Abstractions: Paintings 1963 - 1965, David Richard Gallery, New York, NY November 2022
2021 Ronald Davis – Seven Decades, solo show. 203 Fine Art, Taos, NM, September 25 - November 12, 2021
2020 Charlotte Jackson Fine Art, Smalls 2020 – A Catalog and Smalls 2021 – A Catalog, Virtual / Digital Group Shows for charity, 2020 and 2021
2019 Heather James Fine Art, Palm Desert, CA, Ronald Davis Pixeldust Renderings, Virtual Group Exhibition 2019
2018 Grant award from The Barnett and Annalee Newman Foundation for the resin and fiberglass Slab, Two-Thirds Yellow, 1966, subsequently donated to The Jewish Museum. Facilitated by longtime friend Frank Stella. Included in March 2023: The Wild, exhibition of recent award grantees, Jewish Museum, NY, NY. Grant was presented April 2018
2017 Divergent/Works – Ronald Davis (Featured artist retrospective, main hall), The Harwood Museum of Art, Taos, NM. Group exhibition of Four Living NM Artists:
Ronald Davis, Paul Pascarella, Sam Scott, Jami Porter Lara. October 6, 2017
2016 Ronald Davis: Still Alive, solo show. Hulse-Warman Fine Art, Taos, NM, July 3, 2016
Untitled,Art. Fair, Miami Beach, Tim Nye, Nyehaus Booth. Tropical Minimalism (From the West Coast), Ronald Davis resin works included. November, 2016
2015 Ronald Davis: Unwrapped, solo show. Hulse-Warman Fine Art, Taos, NM, May 2015
2014 Unidentified Floating Objects, solo show. Charlotte Jackson Fine Art, Santa Fe, NM, March 2014
2013 Ronald Davis: Pixeldust Renderings, solo show. Charlotte Jackson Fine Art, Santa Fe, NM. Jan 25 - Feb 25, 2013
Ronald Davis – Pixeldust Renderings (Pizza Box Show), solo show. Hulse-Warman Fine Art, Taos, NM. September 22 - November 3, 2013
2012 Ronald Davis: Pixeldust Renderings - 2012, Santa Fe Art Fair 2012, Charlotte Jackson Fine Art booth. July 7, 2012
2011 Pacific Standard Time: Crosscurrents in L.A. Painting and Sculpture, 1950-1970, group exhibition. For the exhibition, two large resin Dodecagons
were borrowed: “Vector” from The Tate London; and “Black Tear” from the estate of Robert A. Rowan. The Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles, CA, October, 2011
2010 Ronald Davis: Monochromatics: 1965–66, Franklin Parrasch Gallery, NYC, January 9, 2010 – Febuary 6, 2010
2007 Ronald Davis: President's Rooms, 2008, Eight Modern, Santa Fe, New Mexico, November 16 – December 31, 2007
2008 Paintings, 1966-2007, New Gallery - Tom Andriola, Houston, Texas, March 29 – April 26, 2008
Ronald Davis: 3D CG, 2005–07, Eight Modern, Santa Fe, New Mexico, October 16 – November 16, 2008, Catalog
2007 Ronald Davis: Five Decades: Past and Present Work, 1968 – 2007, Electric Works, San Francisco, California, September 7 – October 13, 2007, Catalog
Flatland Series, 1980-81, New Gallery - Tom Andriola, Houston, Texas, Feb-March 2007
2006 Pixel Dust Paintings 2005, New Gallery - Tom Andriola, Houston, Texas, Feb-March 2006, Catalog
2005 Selected Paintings, 1974 – 2004, Galerie Dionisi, West Hollywood, California, February 5 - March 2005
2004 Music Series: 1983-1985, Harwood Museum of Art, Taos, New Mexico, December 10, 2004 - February 27, 2005
2002 Forty Years of Abstraction: 1962-2002, Butler Institute Museum of American Art, Youngstown, Ohio, September 29 - November 17, 2002– Major 40-painting career survey,
Catalog: Forty Years of Abstraction: 1962-2002
Digital Painting Series, 2001 (giclées), Victoria Meyhren Gallery, Denver University, Denver, Colorado, September 12 - October 15, 2002, Nushapes, Hinges, Diamonds
Hinge Series, Philip Bareiss Gallery, Taos, New Mexico, August 3 - September 30, 2002
1998 Jaquelin Loyd Gallery, Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico, January 18 - February 20, 1998, Wax Series, 1996 – 97
1991 Aspen Sculptures, DEL Fine Arts, Taos, New Mexico, 1991
BlumHelman Los Angeles, Santa Monica, California, October 1991, Large Sculpture; Hondo Hogan and aspen wood sculptures
1989 Dodecagons, 1968-69, BlumHelman Los Angeles, Santa Monica, California, September 15 - October 14, 1989 Catalog: Dodecagons: 1968 - 1969, essay by Barbara Rose.
1988 Spiral Series, BlumHelman New York, New York, N. Y., March 1 - March 26, 1988
1987 Freeway Series, Sedona Arts Center, Sedona, Arizona, March 21 – April 19, 1987, Recent work
1986 New York Academy of Sciences, New York, N. Y., September 23 – December 5, 1986, Catalog; Selected Paintings and Prints, Essay by physicist, Cristian von Baer.
1985 Trump’s Restaurant, West Hollywood, CaliforniaJuly 4 – December 30, 1985, Slabettes, 1985; Selected Paintings
Graystone, San Francisco, California, June 2 – June 28, 1985, Silkscreens, Acetates, & Drawings
1984 BlumHelman Gallery, New York City, New York, September12 – October 6, 1984, New Music Paintings; Non-Objective
Asher/Faure, Los Angeles, California, July 21 – August 25, 1984, New Music Paintings; Non-Objective
Thomas Babeor Gallery, La Jolla, California, March 6 – March 31, 1984, The Flatlanders
1983 Gemini G. E. L., Los Angeles, California, November – December 1983, Lithographs, Etchings, & Aquatints
Asher/Faure, Los Angeles, California, August 27 – September 24, 1983, Bungalow Show/Small Paintings; Splatters
1982 John Berggruen Gallery, San Francisco, California, October 21 – November 20, 1982, Selected Works 1968 – 1982
Conejo Valley Art Museum, Thousand Oaks, California, May 14 – June 15, 1982, Selections from the Artist‘s Studio; Slabs
Asher/Faure, Los Angeles, California, April 17 – May 15, 1982, Splatter and Object Paintings
BlumHelman Gallery, New York City, New York, October 14 – November 7, 1982, Paintings; Background/Flatlander Series
1981 Gemini G. E. L., Los Angeles, California, January 31 – February 15, 1981, Etchings, Dry points, & Aquatints
1980 John Berggruen Gallery, San Francisco, California, November 5 – December 6, 1980, Recent Watercolors, large watercolor paintings
1979 Middendorf/Lane Gallery, Washington, D. C., March 25 – April 19, 1979, Floaters
San Diego State University, San Diego, California, February 1 – March 2, 1979, Catalog; Floaters
Nicholas Wilder Gallery, Los Angeles, California, July 10 – August 11, 1979, Floaters
Ronald Greenberg Gallery, St. Louis, Missouri, April 16 – May 26, 1979, Floaters
1978 BlumHelman Gallery, New York City, New York, March 24 – April 20, 1978, Checkerboard Floored
Pepperdine University, Malibu, California, January 21 – February 23, 1978, Selected Paintings
John Berggruen Gallery, San Francisco, California, April 12 – May 13, 1978, Snap Lines
1977 Nicholas Wilder Gallery, Los Angeles, California, May 3 – May 28, 1977, Snap Lines
University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, Nevada, March 11 – April 8, 1977, Catalog; Selected Paintings
1976 The Oakland Museum, Oakland, California, July 13 – September 5, 1976, Catalog; Retrospective: Paintings: 1962-1976
Seder/Creigh Gallery, Coronado, California, May 8 – June 4, 1976, Snap Lines
Aspen Gallery of Art, Aspen, Colorado, February – March 1976, Snap Line Series
1975 John Berggruen Gallery, San Francisco, California, November 4 – December 6, 1975, Selected Paintings
Ronald Greenberg Gallery, St. Louis, Missouri, September 15 – October 15, 1975, Snap Line Series
1974 Leo Castelli Gallery, New York City, New York, May 10 – May 31, 1974, Snap Line Series; Large Canvas Paintings
Snap Line Series, David Mirvish Gallery, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, April 5 – 29, 1974
1973 Boise State University, Boise, Idaho, January13 – February 14, 1973, Selected Paintings
Western Galleries, Cheyenne, Wyoming, November 2 – November 23, 1973, Selected Paintings
Gemini G. E. L., Los Angeles, California, May 18 – June 15, 1973, Hard Edge Interior Silkscreens
Still Life Series, Leo Castelli Gallery, New York City, New York, February 2 – February 23, 1973; Perspective Line Drawings
John Berggruen Gallery, San Francisco, California, September 13 – October 15, 1973, Prints and Selected Paintings
Nicholas Wilder Gallery, Los Angeles, California, April – May, 1973, Large Acetates; with Hans Hoffman Drawings
1972 Galleria Dell‘Ariete, Milano, Italy, November 21 – December 5, 1972, Catalog; Rectangle Interiors
Joseph Helman Gallery, St. Louis, Missouri, May 3 – June 2, 1972, Rectangle Interiors, Eye Level Blocks
1971 Dodecagons, Pyramids, David Mirvish Gallery, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, October 23 - November 23, 1971, Polyester resin, and fiberglass
Rectangle Series, Pasadena Art Museum, Pasadena, California, September 27 - November 14, 1971, Flexible resin, and fiberglass
Cutout Series: Slabs, Sawtooth's, and Boxes, Leo Castelli Gallery, New York City, New York, January 16 – February 6, 1971, Flexible resin and fiberglass
1970 Cutout Series: Slabs, Blocks, Cubes, Joseph Helman Gallery, St. Louis, Missouri, September 2 – September 30, 1970, Flexible resin, and fiberglass
Cutout Series: Blocks, Cubes, Slabs, Kasmin Gallery, London, England, April 28 – May 26, 1970, Flexible resin, and fiberglass
Truncated Pyramids, Interiors, Large L’s, Leo Castelli Gallery, New York City, New York, October 18 – November 8, 1970, Polyester, resin, and fiberglass
1969 Dodecagons, Crabs, and Slabs, Norman Mackenzie Art Gallery, University of Saskatchewan, Regina Campus, Saskatchewan, Canada, September 12 – October 19, 1969;
Polyester resin and fiberglass, Catalog: Ron Davis: Eight Paintings
Dodecagons, Small Dodecagons, & Cubes, Nicholas Wilder Gallery, Los Angeles, California April 15 – May 3, 1969, Polyester resin, and fiberglass paintings
1968 Dodecagons and Half Dodecagons, Kasmin Gallery, London, England, October 31 – November 3, 1968, Polyester resin, and fiberglass
Dodecagon Series, Leo Castelli Gallery, New York City, New York, March 23 – April 11, 1968, Polyester resin, and fiberglass
1967 Crab Series, Nicholas Wilder Gallery, Los Angeles, California, November 3 – November 26, 1967, Polyester resin, and fiberglass
1966 Slab Series, Tibor De Nagy Gallery, New York City, New York, October 11 – October 29, 1966, Polyester resin, and fiberglass with wood ‘stretcher bars’
1965 Monochromatic Series, Nicholas Wilder Gallery, Los Angeles, California, First Solo Show; October 16 – November 13, 1965, acrylic on shaped canvases
Group Exhibitons
2009 California Calling - Works from Santa Barbara Collections, 1948-2008, Santa Barbara Museumof Art, CA, July 18 – December 27, 2009
Hopper Curates - Larry Bell, Ron Cooper, Ronald Davis, Ken Price, & Robert Dean Stockwell, Harwood Museum of Art, Taos, NM, May 08 - September 18, 2009.
Curated by Dennis Hopper
2008 Frist Center for the Visual Arts ; June 20 –September 21, 2008
Smithsonian American Art Museum; February 29–May 26, 2008
AFA "Color as Field: American Painting, 1950–75", curated by Karen Wilkin, Denver Art Museum; November 9, 2007–February 3, 2008
2007 Breaking the Mold: Selections from the Washington Gallery of Modern Art, 1961-1968, Oklahoma City Museum of Art, Oklahoma, May 10, 2007
2006 Driven to Abstraction: Southern California and the Non-Objective World, 1950-1980, Riverside Art Museum, CA, August 17, 2006
"translucence", Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena, CA, June - August 2006
2005 "Wilder", a tribute to the Nicholas Wilder Gallery, Franklin Parrasch Gallery and Joan T. Washburn Gallery, NYC, April 22 – May 7, 2005
Laguna's Hidden Treasures: Art from Private Collections, Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach, CA, March 13 - July 10, 2005
2004 the eclectic eye, Frederich R. Weisman Art Foundation, Los Angeles. At the New Orleans Museum of Art, City Park, New Orleans, Louisiana, September 4 – October 31, 2004
2001 Harwood Museum, Taos, NM, 2001
2000 "Celebrating Modern Art: The Anderson Collection", The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), October 7, 2000 – January 15, 2001, Catalog
Made in California: Art, Image, and Identity 1900–2000, Los Angeles County Museum ofArt, Los Angeles, California, Catalog for the exhibition of the same name.
1999 Into the 21st Century: Selections from the Permanent Collection, San Jose Museum of Art. Catalogue accompanied the exhibition, May 23 – September 12, 1999.
Davis’ painting Seven Part Arch, 1977 was included.
The Rowan Collection – Passion and Patronage, Painting in Los Angeles and New York, Mills College Art Museum, Oakland, California September 9 – October 24, 1999
Radical Past: Contemporary Art & Music in Pasadena, 1960-1974, Catalogue for a four-venue exhibition. Davis’ painting Wyoming Slab, 1975 was included in
Influences: Selections from the Contemporary Collection of the Norton Simon Museum.
1998 The Forty-Fifth Biennial: The Corcoran Collects, 1907-1999. Corcoran Gallery of Modern Art, Washington, D. C. Catalogue published on the occasion of the exhibition
and included Davis’ painting T Beam, 1974, acquired in 1975 during the Corcoran’s 34th Biennial through the Leo Castelli Gallery. Included: T Beam, 1974, PTG 451
1997 The View from Denver, Contemporary American Art from the Denver Art Museum, Museum moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien, Vienna, Austria. June 7, 1997 -
August 31, 1997
1995 Seven Painters, Nicholas Alexander Gallery, NY, 1995, Curated by Ronnie Landfield, Included: Pink Mirror, 1969
1994 Louis Catusco and the Modernists, TAA Stables Gallery, Taos, New Mexico September 20 - November 9, 1994
1991 New Mexico Sculpture, Stables Gallery, Taos, NM, 1991, Curated by Ron Cooper
1988 Blue Chip Prints, Schwartz/Cierlak Gallery, Santa Monica, California February 18 - March 20, 1988
Small Works Invitational, Merging One Gallery, Santa Monica, California December 10, 1987 - January 30, 1988
1987 Digital Visions: Computers and Art, Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, New York. Opened September 18, 1987 This show traveled to: Contemporary Arts Center,
Cincinatti, Ohio. I. B. M. Galleries, New York City, New York. Dayton Art Institute, Dayton, Ohio. Closed January 8, 1989.
Summer, Scott Hanson Gallery, New York City, New York. August 15.–.September 15, 1987
Abstract Painting, Asher/Faure, Los Angeles, California. April 18 – May 16, 1987
New Acquisitions, John Berggruen Gallery, San Francisco, California. January 27 – March 28, 1987
1985 Paperworks From Tyler Graphics, The William Benton Museum of Art, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut. October 21 – December 22, 1985
Black And White Drawings from the David Nelis Collection, Fine Arts Gallery, California State University, Los Angeles, California. September 23 – October 18, 1985
Printer’s Prints from Gemini, G. E. L., 1970 – 75, Selections from the Silkscreens printed by Jeffery Wasserman, Pink’s/Fine Arts, Santa Monica, California. April 27 – June 15, 1985
FORTISSIMO! Thirty Years from the Richard Brown Baker Collection of Contempory Art, Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, Rhode Island.
February 28 – April 28, 1985
Sunshine and Shadow: Recent Painting in Southern California, Fisher Gallery, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California. January 16 – February 23, 1985
1984 Gemini, G. E. L.: Art and Collaboration, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D. C., Catalogue-Book November 18, 1984 – February 24, 1985
Prints from Tyler Graphics, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota September 23, 1984 – March 17, 1985
Art of the States: Works from a Santa Barbara Collection, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara, California June 22 – August 26, 1984, Catalogue
Modern Sculpture from the Guggenheim, Allentown Art Museum, Allentown, Pennsylvania April 14, 1984
1983 California Drawings, “Drawings by 50 California Artists,“ Modernism [Gallery], Art of the 20th Century, San Francisco, California December 16, 1983 – January 28, 1984
California Contemporary: Recent work of twenty-three artists, Monterey Peninsula Museum of Art, May 1-29, 1983, Catalogue
1982 The Americans: The Collage, Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston, Texas, July 11 - October 3, 1982, Catalogue
Theatrical Abstraction, Jan Baum Gallery, Los Angeles, California. Curated by Charles Kessler. July 7 – July 31, 1982
Miró in America, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Texas. Curated by Barbara Rose. April 21 – June 27, 1982
L. A. Art: An Exhibition of Contemporary Paintings. Curated by Noriko Fujinami. Municipal Art Gallery, Barnsdale Park, Los Angeles, California. April 13, – May 2, 1982;
Nagoya City Museum, Nagoya, Japan February 16 – March 14, 1982
1981 Southern California Artists: 1940-1980, Laguna Beach Museum of Art, Laguna Beach, California. July 24 – September 13, 1981 Catalogue
Art in Los Angeles – Seventeen Artists in the Sixties. Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California. Catalogue July 21 – October 4, 1981 San Antonio Musem of
Art, San Antonio, Texas. November 20, 1981 – January 31, 1982
Los Angeles Prints, 1883 – 1980. Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California. Catalogue Part I: September 4 – November 30, 1980 Part II: June 25 –
September 20, 1981
1979 Reality of Illusion, Denver Art Museum, Denver Colorado. Catalogue. July 13 – August 26, 1979 University of Southern California Art Galleries, Los Angeles, California. October
11 – November 25, 1979 Honolulu Academy of Art, Honolulu. April 4 – May 18, 1980 Oakland Museum, Oakland, California. June 17 – July 27, 1980 University Art
Museum, University of Texas, Austin, Texas. September 4 – October 19, 1980 Jonson Museum of Art, Cornell University November 15 – December 30, 1980
Art Off the Picture Press: Tyler Graphics, Ltd., The Emily Lowe Gallery, Hofstra University, Hampstead, New York. 1979
1978 Aspekte der 60er Jahre, Aus der Sammlung Reinhard Onnasch, Nationalgalerie Berlin, Staatliche Museen, Preußischer Kulturbesitz, Berlin, Germany February 2 –
April 23, 1978 Catalogue
The Museum of Drawers, A miniature Museum featuring five hundred contemporary artists. Created by Herbert Distel, it was shown in galleries and museums internationaly
before taking up permanent residence at the Kunsthaus, Zurich, Switzerland.
American Painting of the 1970’s, Albright-Knox Gallery, Buffalo, New York. December 8, 1978 – January 14, 1979; Newport Harbor Museum, Newport Beach,
California; Oakland Museum, Oakland, California; Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati, Ohio; Art Museum of Southern Texas, Corpus Christi, Texas; Krannart Art Museum,
University of Illinois, Champaigne, Illinois. February, 1979 – January 1980
Late Twentieth Century Art, Sydney and Frances Lewis Foundation, Anderson Gallery, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia. December 5, 1978 –
January 8, 1979
Four Contemporary Painters, The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio. 1978
The Frederick Weisman Company Collection of California Art, The Art Museum Galleries, California State University, Long Beach, California. 1978
Berggruen at Art Center, Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, California. November 5 - 30, 1978
14. 7 Artistes Américains - 7 Artistes Européens, Casino de Deauville, Hall et Gallerie Doree, Paris, France. September 1978
The Theodora Pottle Memorial Collection of Contemporary Art, Macomb Public Library, Macomb, Illinois May, 1978
California: 3 X 8 Twice, Honolulu Academy of Arts, Honolulu, Hawaii. February 3 – March 5, 1978
1977 Biennial of Graphic Art, Museum of Modern Art, Ljubljana, Yugoslavia. May 13, 1977
Painting and Sculpture, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, California
Photographs by Southern California Painters and Sculptors, University of California, Santa Barbara, California
American Abstract Art Since 1945, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York City, New York
Painting and Sculpture in California: The Modern Era, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, California. September 3 – November 21, 1976 Smithsonian
Institution, Washington, D. C.. May 20 – September 11, 1977
Collectors, Collecting, Collections of American Abstract Art Since 1945, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, California. April 22 – June 5, 1977
Private Images: Photographs by Painters, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California. January 18 – March 27, 1977
1976 Large Scale Paintings From the Collection of Security Pacific Bank, Security Pacific Plaza, Los Angeles, California. November 23, 1976 – January 15, 1977
30 Years of American Printmaking, The Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, New York. November 20, 1976 – January 30, 1977
1975 Hansen Fuller Gallery Pays Tribute to the San Francisco Art Institute (Part II), Hansen Fuller Gallery, San Francisco, California. November 11 – 29, 1975
Collectors Choice, Los Angeles Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, California, November 1975
Painting, Drawing and Sculpture of the ’60s and the ’70s from the Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection, Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania October 7 – November 18, 1975
Ron Davis/Tom Holland, Works from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Robert A. Rowan, Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, Barnsdale Park, Los Angeles, California August 13 –
September 9, 1975 Catalogue
34th Biennial of Contemporary American Painting, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D. C. February 22 – April 6, 1975
Color, an Exhibition in Collaboration with the Museum of Modern Art, New York, Museo de Arte Moderno, Bogota, Columbia. February – March, 1975
Current Concerns – Part I, Los Angeles Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, California January 1975
Zeichnumgen 3, U. S. A., Stradtisches Museum, Leverkkusen, Germany 1975
1974 Nicholas Wilder, The University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada. 1974
Castelli at Berggruen, John Berggruen Gallery, San Francisco, California. 1974
New Acquisitions/Prints, John Berggruen Gallery, San Francisco, California. 1974
Works on Paper, Nicholas Wilder Gallery, Los Angeles, California. July 2 – 31, 1974
Seventy-first American Exhibition, The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois. June 15 - August 11, 1974
Selected Works from the Collection of Carter Burden, Marlborough Gallery, Inc., New York City, New York. May 9 – June 1, 1974
Contemporary Painting and Sculpture 1974, University of Illinois, Krannert Art Museum, Champaign, Illinois. March 10 – April 21, 1974
15 Abstract Artists from Los Angeles, The Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara, California. January 19 – March 10, 1974
Leo Castelli Gallery, New York City, New York, 1974.
1973 The Cusak Gallery, Houston, Texas, 1973
Drawings, Margo Levin Gallery, Los Angeles, California, 1973
Artistes Americains, Musee d’Art Contemporain, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. November 4 –December 2, 1973
Works on Paper, John Berggruen Gallery, San Francisco, California. June, 1973 11
Art in Space: Some Turning Points, The Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, Michigan. May 15 –June 24, 1973
Twenty-five Years of American Painting, 1948 – 1973, Des Moines Art Center, Des Moines, Iowa March 6 – April 22, 1973
1972 The State of California Painting, Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, New Plymouth, New Zealand, 1972 – 1973
Catalogue Eighteenth National Print Exhibition, The Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, New York City, New York. November 22, 1972 – February 4, 1972
U. S. A., XXXVI International Biennial Exhibition of Art, Venice, Italy. June 11 – October 1, 1972
Masters of the Sixties, The Edmonton Art Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. May 4 – June 4, 1972
Paintings: New Options, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota April 23 – June 4, 1972
The Last Plastics Show, California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, California. March 14 – April 15, 1972
U. S. A. West Coast, Kunstverein in Hamberg, Hamberg, Germany 1972
Color-Field Painting, John Berggruen Gallery, San Francisco, California. 1972
Dealer’s Choice, La Jolla Museum of Contemporary Art, La Jolla, California. 1972
International Art Fair, Basel, Switzerland. 1972
1971 Modern Paintings, Drawings, and Sculpture Collected by Louise & Joseph Pulitzer, Jr., Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, Massachusetts. November 15, 1971 – January 3, 1972
Six Painters, Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York. October 3 – November 21, 1971
The 73rd Western Annual, Denver Art Museum. Denver, Colorado. October 3 – November 21, 1971
Technics and Creativity, Gemini G. E. L., Museum of Modern Art, New York City, New York.
1970 The Mr. and Mrs. Robert A. Rowan Collection, Pasadena Art Museum, Pasadena, California. October, 1970
1969 Plastics: New Art, Institute of Contempory Art, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 1969
The George Waterman Collection, Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, Rhode Island. October 22 – November 23, 1969
31st Biennial Exhibition of Contemporary American Painting, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D. C. February 1 – March 16, 1969
1968 4 Documenta International, Ausstellung, Kasel, Germany. June 27 – October 6, 1968
Los Angeles Six, Vancouver Art Museum, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Catalogue March 31 – May 5, 1968
Selection of Paintings from the 50’s and 60’s from the Collection of Gifford and Joann Phillips, The Art Galleries, University of California, Santa Barbara, California. March 12 –
April 7, 1968
Plastics: Paintings and Sculptures from Los Angeles, California State College at Los Angeles, California. February, 1968
1967 1967 Annual Exhibition of Contemporary Paintings, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York City, New York. Catalogue December 13, 1967 – February 4, 1968
Young Artists of the Sixties, Paintings and Sculpture from the collection of Charles Cowles, Stanford Museum, Palo Alto, California. November, 1967
Art for Embassies from the Woodward Foundation Collection, Washington Gallery of Modern Art, Washington, D. C.. September 30 – November 5, 1967
Drawing Power, Nicholas Wilder Gallery, Los Angeles, California. A two-man show with Joe Goode September 1967
Mr. & Mrs. Robert A. Rowan Collection, San Francisco Museum of Art, San Francisco, California. June 1967
A New Aesthetic, Washington Gallery of Modern Art, Washington, D. C. Curated by Barara Rose. Catalogue May 6 – June 25, 1967
1966 Some Continuing Directions, The Pavillion Gallery, Balboa, California. November 9 - December 4, 1966
New Modes in California Painting and Sculpture, La Jolla Museum of Art, La Jolla, California. May 20 – June 26, 1966
1965 Critic’s Choice, Long Beach Museum of Art, Long Beach, California. April 3 – May 1, 1965
New Directions in California Art, Unitarian Community Church, Santa Monica, California, June 5th & 6th, 1965
California at Macy's Herald Square, New York City, New York. April 28, 1965
12th Contemporary American Painting and Sculpture Exhibition, Krannert Art Museum, Champaigne, Illinois. Catalogue March 7 – April 11, 1965
Some Aspects of California Painting and Sculpture, La Jolla Museum of Art, La Jolla, California. February 28 – April 11, 1965
1964 Painting-Drawing ’64 Annual, Richmond Art Center, Richmond, California. November 20 - December 15, 1964
Current Painting and Sculpture of the Bay Area, Stanford University Art Gallery, Palo Alto, California. Catalogue October 8 – November 29, 1964
II Bienal Americann de Arte, Ciudad Universitaria, Cordoba, Argentina. The painting Ball Point Pen was water damaged in shipment, then purchased and restored by the
Oakland Museum of Art, Oakland, California. Catalogue September 25 – October 12, 1964
Arts of San Francisco, San Francisco Museum of Art, San Francisco, California. July 7 - August 9, 1964
Summer Invitational, Laynon Gallery, Palo Alto, California. First meeting with then gallery director, Nicholas Wilder. June, 1964
Hard Edge, Rolf Nelson Gallery, Los Angeles, California. May 16 – June 6, 1964
Valentine Day Show, New Mission Gallery, San Francisco, California. February 14 – March 15, 1964
1963 Painting and Drawing Annual, Richmond Art Center, Richmond, California. Was given the First Place Award ($100.00) in the show juried by Tony De Lapp. December 8,
1963 - January 5, 1964
1962 Art Exhibition and Concert at Yale University Summer School of Music and Art, Yale/Norfolk Campus, Norfolk, Connecticut. August 10, 1962
1961 San Francisco Arts Festival, San Francisco, California, 1961, 62, 63
Collections
Addison Gallery of American Art, Phillips Academy, Andover , MA
Maltese, 1969, PTG 0103
Acquired in 1984, Gift of Phillip Johnson
Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York
Cube and Four Panels, 1975, PTG 0466
Acquired in 1978 thru the David Mirvish Gallery, Toronto.
Brooks Memorial Art Gallery, Memphis, Tennessee
The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IIlinois
Turn (Two-Thirds), 1968, PTN 0068
Acquired in 1969 thru the Ronald Greenberg Gallery.
The Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, Ohio
Five Panel Wave, 1996, PTG 0062
Acquired in 2002 from the artist.
Corcoran Gallery of Modern Art, Washington, D. C.
T Beam,1974, PTG 0451
Acquired in 1975 thru the Leo Castelli Gallery.
Carnation Corporation, Los Angeles, California
Spiral Uplifter, 1987, PTG 0897
Acquired in 1988 thru BlumHelman, Los Angeles.
Des Moines Art Center, Des Moines, Iowa
Violet Pyamids, 1969, PTG 0221
Acquired in 1970 thru the Nicholas Wilder Gallery, Los Angeles, California.
Denver Art Museum, Denver, Colorado
Three Vents, 1976
Acquired thru the Nicholas Wilder Gallery, Los Angeles, California.
Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, San Francisco, California.
Etchings and Litho/Screen Prints
Guggenheim Museum, New York City, New York
Sleeves, 1969, PTG 175
Acquired in 1975 as a gift from Leo Castelli Gallery.
Harwood Museum, Taos, New Mexico
Rectiliniar Open Box, 2001, PTN 1075
Acquired in 2001 from the Jaqualin Loyd Gallery, Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico, and the Artist.
HHK Foundation for Contemporary Art, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
The Hillcrest Foundation, Los Angeles, California.
Bent I Beam, 1976, PTG 0049
Acquired thru the Nicholas Wilder Gallery, Los Angeles, California.
Hughes Aircraft Company, Los Angeles, California.
Hirshhorn Museum, Washington, D. C.
Double Diamond, 1967, PTG 0049
Acquired thru the Nicholas Wilder Gallery, Los Angeles, California.
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, Californian
Tall Yellow, 1965, PTG 017 Acquired in 1965, thru the Nicholas Wilder Gallery,
Los Angeles, California.
Roto, 1968, PTG 071
Acquired in 1965 thru the Nicholas Wilder Gallery, Los Angeles, California.
Parallelepiped Vents, 1977, PTG 545
Acquired in 1965 thru the Nicholas Wilder Gallery, Los Angeles, California.
Splatter Galaxy, 1982, PTG 680
Acquired 1983, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Steve Antebe.
List Visual Arts Center, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Single Divider, 1972, Lithograph
Museum of Contempory Art (MoCA), Los Angeles, California
Bent Vents and Octangular, 1976, PTG 531
Acquired in 1983 as a gift from Robert A. Rowan.
Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, (MCASD), San Diego and La Jolla, California
U-Slab-C, 1970, PTG 236
Acquired in 1970 thru the Nicholas Wilder Gallery, Los Angeles, California.
The Museum of Modern Art, New York City, New York
Ring,1968, PTG 055
Acquired in 1968 thru the Leo Castelli Gallery.
also:
Red Slab, 1983, Aquatint
Drypoint Mu, 1980, Drypoint
Cube III, 1971, Photo-Offset
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, Australia
Kenneth Tyler Prints: 1971-1982
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D. C.
Lithos, Silkscreens, and Etchings
Acquired in 1983 from the Gemini G. E. L. archives.
Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City , Moursia
Nickle Art Museum, University of Calagary, Alberta, Canada
Double Slice, 1972, Lithograph
Newport Harbor Art Museum, Newport Beach, California
Vent Duo and Invert, 1978, PTG 573
Gift from Mr. and Mrs. John Martin Shea.
The Oakland Art Museum, Oakland, California
Ball Point Pen, 1964, PTG 006
Acquired in 1964 thru the Lanyon Gallery, Palo Alto, California..
Palm Springs Desert Museum, Palm Springs, California
Two Cubes and Ellipse Region, 1983, PTG 684
Acquired in 1985 thru the Asher/Faure Gallery, Los Angeles, California, .
Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, Arizona
Post, Beam, and Cube, 1975, PTG 0492
Gift of Robert H. Shoenberg.
San Antonio Museum of Art, San Antonio, TX
Crossover Lift, 1977, PTG 0558
Purchased with funds provided by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Sarah Campbell Blaffer Foundation.
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, California.
Silver Top, 1969, PTG 091
Acquired in 1969 as a gift from the artist.
Arch Duo and Vented Star, 1976, PTG 0541
Acquired in 1976 thru the Nicholas Wilder Gallery, Los Angeles, California.
San José Museum of Art, San José, California
Seven Part Arch, 1977
Gift of Ruth and Alan L. Stein.
Security Pacific Bank, Los Angeles, California
Dodecagon Cone, 1976, PTG 0522
Acquired in 1978 thru the Nicholas Wilder Gallery, Los Angeles, California.
Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington
Frame and Beam, 1975, PTG 484
Acquired in 1978 thru the Nicholas Wilder Gallery, Los Angeles, California.
Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery, Lincoln, Nebraska
The Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena, California
Wyoming Slab, 1975, PTG 442
Acquired in 1975 thru the Nicholas Wilder Gallery, Los Angeles, California.
City Art Museum of St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
Vent Interlock, 1975, PTG 482
Acquired in 1973, thru the Joseph Helman Gallery,
St. Louis, MO.
The Tate Gallery, London, England
Vector, 1968, PTG 061
Acquired in 1968 thru the Leo Castelli Gallery.
Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC
Diamond in a Box, 1975
Walraff-Richartz Museum, Cologne, Germany
Five-Twelfths, 1968
Acquired in 1968 thru the Leo Castelli Gallery.
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York City, New York
Two-Ninths Gray, 1966, PTG 031
Acquired in 1974 thru the Tibor de Nagy Gallery, NYC, NY.
Witt Museum, San Antonio, Texas
Crossover Lift, 1977, PTG 558
Acquired in 1978 thru the Nicholas Wilder Gallery, Los Angeles, California
Woodward Foundation, Washington, D. C.
One-Ninth Green, 1966, PTG 031
Acquired in 1967 thru the Tibor De Nagy Gallery, N. Y.