Image With Caption

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James Baldwin on Beauford Delaney

William Eggleston and John McCracken True Stories

John McCracken: Thresholds

A detail from a painting by Gustave Courbet, titled The Wave (La Vague), dated c. 1869-1870.

At Sea

Cy Gavin Seeks a New Way of Seeing

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Published on the occasion of a critically acclaimed 

 of the artist's work organized by Helen Molesworth at David Zwirner, New York, in 2020, 

 provides a crucial record of his extraordinary oeuvre. Through a series of interviews, the book tells the story of a brilliant artist and cultural force through the eyes of his friends and collaborators.

The cover of a book titled Noah Davis, published in 2020.

Deana Lawson interviewed by Helen Molesworth, 2019

“Noah knew about my work way before I even knew he knew about my work. I applied to the William H. Johnson Foundation, which gives grants to emerging African American artists. I had applied twice, and I didn’t get the grant either time. The second time I applied I remember thinking, ‘I’m not applying anymore.’ I felt that I would never get a grant like that because the nature of my work, the subjects I was photographing, just didn’t fit their scope. Years later, I think it was at the barbecue, Noah said, ‘I was the person organizing the slides for the William H. Johnson award, and I saw your work and I called my brother right away, and I was like, ‘Yo, this artist here, we have to meet her.’”


Cover image: Noah Davis and Moses Davis, Los Angeles, c. 2010–2011

A photo of Noah Davis and Moses Davis in Los Angeles, circa 2010–2011.

Exceptional Works: Noah Davis

Deana Lawson on Noah Davis

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A special episode dedicated to the late artist Noah Davis, with some of the people who knew him best. The curator Helen Molesworth, his brother, the filmmaker Kahlil Joseph, and his wife, the artist Karon Davis, remember Davis, whose legacy continues to grow—through his paintings, which depict everyday life with emotional and formal ambition; The Underground Museum, the space he founded in Los Angeles that combines many different worlds; and the family, literal and figurative, that coalesced around the magnetism of his personality.

 of Davis’s work was presented at David Zwirner, New York, in 2020. Learn more about Davis 

An untitled painting by Noah Davis, dated 2015.

Noah Davis

Celebrating Noah Davis

 at the gallery earlier this year. “In this show organized by curator Helen Molesworth,’’ Saltz writes, “Davis ... was revealed as a Degas-like painter of hushed intimacy.’’

's list of the top ten shows in the US this year also highlighted 

 by Erica N. Cardwell. “This luminous exhibition,’’ she wrote, “the largest ever presentation of work by [Davis], makes me wish I could have spent time with the artist’s brilliant mind. Absent of that possibility, the twenty paintings on display here demonstrate not only Davis’s technical skill but his lifelong dedication to Black art and artists.’’

The gallery's exhibition is accompanied by a critically acclaimed 

 that tells the story of a brilliant artist and cultural force through the eyes of his friends and collaborators.

A photo of a book titled Noah Davis, published in 2020.

Watch curator Helen Molesworth's introduction to 

 at David Zwirner, New York, earlier this year. Molesworth also joined Kahlil Joseph and Karon Davis for a conversation on 

A silkscreen print on paper by Jasper Johns, titled Flags II, dated 1973.

Video

Vimeo video

Here, Karon Davis, Thelma Golden, Helen Molesworth, and fellow artist Henry Taylor recall Davis’s singular charisma, and how he used it to turn The Underground Museum from a beautiful dream into reality.

A detail from a painting by Noah Davis, titled Painting for My Dad, dated 2011.

The World of Noah Davis

This online-only presentation highlights 

’s acclaimed practice. The work bears the tension between the quotidian and the magical often seen in the artist’s lush, sensual compositions.

This presentation, the latest in our

 series, features an original essay by Helen Molesworth. Previously invitation only, each of these viewing rooms presents a single canonical work.

Featuring an original essay by Helen Molesworth

A detail from a painting by Noah Davis, titled Another balcony, dated 2009.

Exceptional Works Noah Davis

David Zwirner is an art gallery with locations in New York, Los Angeles, London, Paris and Hong Kong. We present physical and online exhibitions, podcasts, books, and more.