2023
David Zwirner Books and Phaidon invite you to celebrate writer, curator, and podcaster Helen Molesworth, and the publication of two new books: Open Questions: Thirty Years of Writing about Art—the first ever published collection of Molesworth’s writing—and Noah Davis: In Detail, featuring contributions by Molesworth.
Please join us at 526 North Western Avenue for a conversation between Molesworth and LAXART director Hamza Walker, followed by a book signing with the author and special musical performance by Aneesa Al-Musawwir.
Published by Phaidon, Open Questions: Thirty Years of Writing about Art is the first book of collected writings by Helen Molesworth. This generously illustrated reader—the first ever collection of her writings—presents 24 essays from the past 30 years, gathered from exhibition catalogs and art publications such as Artforum, Documents, frieze, and October. The volume opens with a new essay that lays out Molesworth’s belief in art’s unique capacity for merging knowledge and feeling. It also includes new critical and reflective commentary on her past writing, an innovative approach that will position Open Questions as an indispensable volume for viewing and thinking about contemporary art for generations to come.
Noah Davis: In Detail offers insight into the impact and legacy of the revolutionary Los Angeles artist and activist. Featuring a new text by Helen Molesworth along with contributions by Franklin Sirmans and Lindsay Charlwood, this important new book brings into focus the rich, painterly variety and luminous detail of Davis’s canvases. With a focus on the groundbreaking Underground Museum, which Noah Davis co-founded with his wife, Karon Davis, a special conversation moderated by Molesworth offers the personal reflections from Fred Moten, Glenn Ligon, Thomas Lax, and Julie Mehretu of the powerful and emotional impact of The Underground Museum and its connection to the larger artistic environs of Los Angeles.
Open Questions: Thirty Years of Writing about Art and Noah Davis: In Detail will be available for purchase during the book signing.