KAZUO NAKAMURA
Estate Works 1950’s and 60’s
Opening Reception Saturday, January 13th, 2018, 2-6 pm
exhibition runs: January 13th – February 10th, 2018
Christopher Cutts Gallery is delighted to present an exhibition of paintings, by Kazuo Nakamura, from the 1950’s and 60’s. This is the gallery’s fifth solo show.
I first met Kazuo Nakamura back in 1987 at the Art Gallery of Ontario. The gallery was hosting a reception for all the artists in their permanent collection. I attended the event with Toronto artist, John MacGregor who introduced me to Kazuo. I asked Kazuo about his most current work and he launched into a dialogue about the patterns within number structures and how they mirror patterns evident everywhere in nature. He began to explain in some detail that this work, which began earnestly in the early 1970’s, was the pinnacle of all he had done.
At the time, it was a little much for me to comprehend so I asked if I could visit him for further discussion. So began almost weekly visits to the Nakamura household where Kazuo would patiently explain the concepts which formed the basis of his practice as we enjoyed cheeseburgers made by his wife, Lillian.
It’s hard to believe that it all began over 30 years ago. This exhibition will feature works from the Nakamura estate. These works such as the Block Structure paintings from the 1950’s and the Topology paintings from the mid to late 1960’s were a pictorial prelude to the number structure works that followed.
This exhibition will also incorporate some early landscape paintings from the 1950’s and still-lifes from the early 1960’s.
