Pace Gallery will present a major two-part retrospective of Kenneth Noland, one of the most influential figures in postwar abstract art, at its Seoul and Tokyo locations in 2025. This groundbreaking exhibition, running in Seoul from January 10 to March 29 and in Tokyo from March 7 to April 19, offers an unparalleled exploration of Noland’s six-decade career. Featuring rare and museum-quality works spanning the 1960s to the early 2000s, this retrospective introduces Asian audiences to the transformative power of Noland’s art, which redefined abstraction through his innovative use of color, form, and material.

Kenneth Noland was a founding member of the Washington Color School, a group that included artists such as Sam Gilliam, Morris Louis, and Alma Thomas. Emerging in the mid-20th century, the group developed a distinct approach to abstraction, focusing on color as a primary expressive force. Noland’s work is emblematic of this ethos. A graduate of Black Mountain College in the late 1940s, he was profoundly influenced by the teachings of Josef Albers and John Cage. Their emphasis on experimentation, chance, and the emotive potential of color laid the foundation for Noland’s artistic philosophy, which would evolve into a bold visual language characterized by circles, chevrons, diamonds, and shaped canvases.

The Seoul and Tokyo exhibitions trace the evolution of Noland’s work, beginning with his early explorations of geometric forms. His Stripe and Diamond paintings from the 1960s exemplify his ability to manipulate space and perception. These large-scale works, often spanning several meters, stretch beyond the viewer’s field of vision, evoking the sensation of an expansive, enveloping landscape. Noland employed innovative techniques, such as staining raw canvas with acrylic paint, to create vibrant bands of color. The unforgiving nature of acrylics—unlike oil paint, it cannot be reworked—added an element of risk to his process, earning him the reputation of a “one-shot painter.” This approach emphasized precision and spontaneity while allowing for moments of chance where colors meet and interact.

As his career progressed, Noland continued to push the boundaries of abstraction. In the 1970s, he introduced vertical stripes into his compositions, creating the Plaid series. These works, inspired by Piet Mondrian’s geometric precision, retained a softness and fluidity that distinguished them from Mondrian’s rigid grids. Noland’s use of overlapping colors created a quasi-alchemical effect, where hues seemed to merge and pulsate. This interplay of structure and fluidity became a hallmark of his practice, reflecting his deep understanding of color’s emotional resonance.

The exhibition also delves into Noland’s exploration of shaped canvases, which emerged in the 1980s. By breaking away from the traditional rectangular format, Noland emphasized the objecthood of his paintings, transforming them into sculptural entities. Works from this period often feature asymmetrical forms and large expanses of a single color, enriched by the texture of raw canvas and the artist’s distinct application techniques. His Chevron series from the mid-1980s revisits patterns he first explored in the 1960s but with an intensified focus on texture, depth, and the materiality of paint.

Noland’s later works, including the Flares series from the early 1990s, demonstrate his continued innovation. These pieces incorporate translucent plexiglass strips into irregularly shaped panels, blurring the line between painting and sculpture. The glossy, colorful bands activate a dynamic interplay between light, material, and form, creating what Noland described as “constructed pictures.” The Mysteries series from the early 2000s marks a return to concentric circles and horizontal bands, echoing his early works while introducing a newfound sensitivity to tone and transparency. His final series, Into the Cool (2006), reflects his enduring fascination with jazz, manifesting in gestural, rhythmic abstractions that celebrate the expressive potential of color.

This retrospective is a tribute to Noland’s artistic legacy and a rare opportunity for audiences in Seoul and Tokyo to engage with his work on an unprecedented scale. The exhibition marks Noland’s first dedicated presentation in Seoul since 1995 and in Tokyo since 1986, reaffirming his relevance in the contemporary art discourse. Noland’s influence extends far beyond the confines of abstraction; his work is a testament to the transformative power of color and form, resonating with audiences across generations.

The exhibition’s historical significance is further underscored by its inclusion of works from major series housed in prestigious collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Guggenheim Museum in New York, as well as the Tate in London and the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra. Pace Gallery invites viewers to immerse themselves in the artist’s lifelong dialogue with color, material, and space by presenting a comprehensive survey of Noland's oeuvre.

As one of the defining voices of postwar abstraction, Kenneth Noland reshaped the trajectory of modern art. His relentless pursuit of innovation, combined with his mastery of color, continues to inspire artists and captivate audiences worldwide. With its breadth and depth, this exhibition not only celebrates Noland’s extraordinary achievements but also reaffirms his position as a cornerstone of modern art history.

Sayart / Maria Kim, sayart2022@gmail.com