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Catalogue Entry
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Provenance
The artist
Etta and M. Martin Janis, Buffalo, New York (1934)
Martha Jackson Gallery, New York (after July 1953; by October 1953)
[Galerie Stadler, Paris (by May 1962)]
Martha Jackson Gallery, New York (after October 1962)
Estate of Arshile Gorky, by exchange (January 20, 1966)
Private collection (1975)
[Gagosian Gallery, New York (October 1998)]
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (December 2005)
Exhibitions
1934b New York likely
Wanamaker Department Store, New York, Wanamaker Regional Exhibition, October–November 7, 1934, as "Organization at Night".1934 Rochester
Memorial Art Gallery, Rochester, New York, 48 Living Americans in Contrasted Groups, December 1934, as "Organization at Night".1935 Buffalo likely
Buffalo Fine Arts Academy, Albright Art Gallery, New York, Mr. and Mrs. M. Martin Janis Collection, February 2–March 2, 1935, as "Enigma".1936 Buffalo
Buffalo Fine Arts Academy, Albright Art Gallery, New York, The Art of Today: An Exhibition of Contemporary Pictures and Sculpture Arranged and Sponsored by the Women's Advisory Committee of the Albright Art Gallery, January 3–31, 1936, no. 46, p. 7, as "Enigma," lent by M. Martin Janis.1937 Chicago
Renaissance Society of the University of Chicago, International Moderns, April 5–30, 1937, no. 10, as "Enigma".1944 Janis / San Francisco
Sidney Janis and San Francisco Museum of Art (organizers), Abstract and Surrealist Art in the United States, 1944, no. 50, p. 29, as "Nighttime Nostalgia," dated 1935. Traveled to: Cincinnati Art Museum, February 8–March 12, 1944; Denver Art Museum, March 26–April 23, 1944; Seattle Art Museum, May 10–June 4, 1944; Santa Barbara Museum of Art, California, July 8–23, 1944; Portland Art Museum, Oregon, August 9–26, 1944; San Francisco Museum of Art, September 6–24, 1944.1954c New York
Martha Jackson Gallery, New York, Two Lyric Abstractionists: Gorky, Works of the Middle Period / Trökes, Recent Gouaches and Drawings, March 31–April 24, 1954, no. 41, as "Night Time, Enigma and Nostalgia".1962a New York
David Anderson Gallery, New York, Arshile Gorky: Drawings: 1929 to 1934, February 3–March 1, 1962, as "Nighttime, Enigma and Nostalgia".1962 Venice
XXXI Biennale di Venezia: Internazionale d'Arte, U.S. Pavilion, Venice, Italy, Arshile Gorky, June 16–October 7, 1962, no. 3, p. 113, as "Night Time, Enigma and Nostalgia".1962–63b New York
Museum of Modern Art, New York, Arshile Gorky, 1904–1948, December 19, 1962–February 12, 1963. (Exhibition catalogue: Seitz 1962), no. 23, ill. in b/w, p. 21; p. 53, as "Nighttime, Enigma and Nostalgia," dated c. 1934. Traveled to: Washington Gallery of Modern Art, D.C., March 12–April 14, 1963.1965 AC–Brussels and Rotterdam
Arts Council of Great Britain, London (organizer), Arshile Gorky, Paintings and Drawings / Arshile Gorky: Schilderijen en Tekeningen, 1965, no. 36, ill. in b/w, as "Nacht, orakelspreuk en nostalgie / Nighttime, enigma and nostalgia," dated c. 1934. Traveled to: Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels, May 22–June 27, 1965; Museum Boymans van Beuningen, Rotterdam, the Netherlands, July 24–September 5, 1965 (Museum Boymans van Beuingen 1965).1965 AC–London
Arts Council of Great Britain, London (organizer), Tate Gallery, Arshile Gorky: Paintings and Drawings, April 2–May 2, 1965, no. 25, ill. in b/w, as "Nighttime, Enigma and Nostalgia," dated c. 1934.1975–77 AC–London
Arts Council of Great Britain, London (organizer), Arshile Gorky: Paintings and Drawings, 1975–77, no. 4, ill. in b/w, as "Nighttime, Enigma and Nostalgia," dated 1929–34. Traveled to: Southampton Art Gallery, United Kingdom, December 12, 1975–February 22, 1976; Graves Art Gallery, Sheffield, United Kingdom, April 3–May 2, 1976; Sunderland Art Gallery, United Kingdom, June 5–August 15, 1976; City Art Gallery, Dundee, United Kingdom, August 21–November 27, 1976; Museum of Modern Art, Oxford, United Kingdom, December 19, 1976–January 16, 1977; Serpentine Gallery, London, March 12–April 11, 1977.1977 Paris
Musée National d'Art Moderne, Centre National d'Art et de Culture Georges Pompidou, Paris, Paris — New York, June 1–September 19, 1977. (Exhibition catalogue: Centre Pompidou 1977), ill. in b/w, p. 417, as "Nighttime enigma and nostalgia".1978–80 Newark
Newark Museum, New Jersey, Murals without Walls: Arshile Gorky's Aviation Murals Rediscovered, November 15, 1978–March 11, 1979. (Exhibition catalogue: O'Connor 1978b), no. 3, ill. in b/w, p. 67, as "Nighttime, Enigma and Nostalgia," dated 1934. Traveled to: Memorial Art Gallery, University of Rochester, New York, July 1–August 26, 1979; Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., October 4–November 25, 1979; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, December 23, 1979–February 3, 1980; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, February 28–April 20, 1980; Newport Harbor Art Museum, Newport Beach, California, May 10–June 22, 1980; Queens Museum, New York, September 6–November 2, 1980.1979b New York
Xavier Fourcade Inc, New York, Arshile Gorky: Important Paintings and Drawings, April 3–28, 1979, ill. in color, as "Nighttime, Enigma and Nostalgia," dated 1933–34.1981–82 New York
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, Arshile Gorky 1904–1948: A Retrospective, April 24–July 19, 1981, no. 43, ill. in color, p. 97, as "Nighttime, Enigma and Nostalgia," dated 1933–34. Traveled to: Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, September 12–November 6, 1981; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, December 3, 1981–February 28, 1982.1989–90 Madrid
Sala de Exposiciones de la Fundación Caja de Pensiones, Madrid, Arshile Gorky, 1904–1948, October 17–December 23, 1989, no. 11, ill. in color, p. 69, as "Nighttime, Enigma and Nostalgia". Traveled to: Whitechapel Art Gallery, London, January 19–March 25, 1990.1998–99b New York
Gagosian Gallery, New York, Arshile Gorky: Paintings and Drawings, 1929–1942, October 27, 1998–January 9, 1999, ill. in color, pp. 24–25; p. 94, as "Nighttime, Enigma and Nostalgia".2009–10 Philadelphia
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Arshile Gorky: A Retrospective, October 15, 2009–January 10, 2010. (Exhibition catalogue: Taylor 2009a), pl. 55, ill. in color, p. 211; p. 387, as "Nighttime, Enigma, and Nostalgia". Traveled to: Tate Modern, London, February 10–May 3, 2010 (Gale 2010); Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, June 6–September 20, 2010 (Gale 2010).Literature
Herdle 1934
Herdle, Isabelle C. "Gorky Painting Stirs Interest at Art Gallery." Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, NY), December 2, 1934, discussed, p. 55; ill. in b/w, p. 56, as "Organization at Night".Jewell 1934 likely
Jewell, Edward Alden. "Regional Show Pipes a Lively Tune." New York Times, October 14, 1934, discussed, sec. 10, p. 8, as "Organization at Night".Porter 1954
Porter, Fairfield. "Reviews and Previews." Artnews (New York) 53 (April 1954), discussed, p. 53, as "Night Time, Enigma and Nostalgia".Schwabacher 1957
Schwabacher, Ethel. Arshile Gorky. Introduction by Meyer Schapiro. New York: The Macmillan Company for the Whitney Museum of American Art, 1957. Monograph, fig. 15, ill. in b/w, p. 51, as "Nighttime, Enigma and Nostalgia," dated 1929–34.Barilli 1961
Barilli, Renato. "La Pittura di Arshile Gorky." La Biennale 43 (April–June 1961), ill. in b/w, p. 13, as "Nighttime, Enigma and Nostalgia".Reiff 1961
Reiff, Robert F. "A Stylistic Analysis of Arshile Gorky's Art from 1943–1948." Ph.D. diss., Columbia University, New York, 1961, fig. 11, ill. in b/w, p. 289, as "Nighttime, Enigma and Nostalgia".O'Hara 1962
O'Hara, Frank. "Art Chronicle." Kulchur (New York) 2, no. 6 (Summer 1962), discussed p. 55, as "Nighttime, Enigma and Nostalgia".Tillim 1962
Tillim, Sydney. "Arshile Gorky." Arts Magazine (New York) 36, no. 7 (April 1962), discussed p. 50, as "Nighttime, Enigma and Nostalgia".Rosenberg 1962a
Rosenberg, Harold. Arshile Gorky: The Man, the Time, the Idea. New York: Horizon Press, 1962. Monograph, ill. in b/w, p. 41, as "Nighttime, Enigma and Nostalgia".Levy 1966
Levy, Julien. Arshile Gorky. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1966. Monograph, pl. 61, ill. in b/w, p. 85, as "Nighttime, Enigma, and Nostalgia," dated c. 1934.Kagitani 1976
Kagitani, Y. "Arshile Gorky: A Man Who Lived in the Middle of Solitude." Mizue (みづゑ) (Tokyo) 9, no. 858 (September 1976), ill. in b/w, p. 31.Suenaga 1979
Suenaga, Terukazu. "Mirror of Memory: Gorky's Cruel Change." Mizue (みづゑ) (Tokyo) 9, no. 894 (September 1979), ill. in color, p. 11, dated 1929–34.Rand 1981
Rand, Harry. Arshile Gorky: The Implication of Symbols. Montclair, NJ: Allanheld, Osmun & Co. Publishers Inc., and London: George Prior Associated Publishers Ltd., 1981. Monograph, fig. 4–2, ill. in b/w, p. 55, as "Nighttime, Enigma and Nostalgia," dated 1934.Karp 1982
Karp, Diane. "Arshile Gorky: The Language of Art." Ph.D. diss., University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 1982, fig. 59, ill. in b/w, p. 227, as "Nighttime, Enigma and Nostalgia".Jordan 1982a
Jordan, Jim M. "The Paintings of Arshile Gorky: New Discoveries, New Sources, and Chronology." In The Paintings of Arshile Gorky: A Critical Catalogue, by Jim M. Jordan and Robert Goldwater. New York and London: New York University Press, 1982, discussed pp. 47–48, 50–51, as "Nighttime, Enigma and Nostalgia".Jordan 1982b
Jordan, Jim M. "Catalogue Raisonné of Paintings." In The Paintings of Arshile Gorky: A Critical Catalogue, by Jim M. Jordan and Robert Goldwater. New York and London: New York University Press, 1982, no. 120, ill. in b/w, pp. 251–52, as "Nighttime, Enigma and Nostalgia".Seitz 1983
Seitz, William C. Abstract Expressionist Painting in America. Cambridge, MA and London: Harvard University Press for the National Gallery of Art, 1983, fig. 56, ill. in b/w, as "Nighttime, Enigma and Nostalgia".Lader 1985
Lader, Melvin P. Arshile Gorky. New York: Abbeville Press, 1985. Monograph, fig. 42, ill. in b/w, p. 49, as "Nighttime, Enigma, and Nostalgia".Waldman 1988
Waldman, Diane. Willem de Kooning. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1988, fig. 6, ill. in b/w, p. 20, as "Nighttime, Enigma and Nostalgia," dated 1934.Feaver 1990
Feaver, William. "Blessings of a Big Name." Observer (London, UK), February 4, 1990, ill. in b/w (in situ), p. 57.Rand 1991
Rand, Harry. Arshile Gorky: The Implication of Symbols. Rev. ed. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1991. Monograph, fig. 4–2, ill. in b/w, p. 62, as "Nighttime, Enigma and Nostalgia," dated 1934.Rosenblum 1996
Rosenblum, Robert. "De Chirico's Long American Shadow." Art in America (New York) 84 (July 1996), ill. in b/w, p. 51, as "Nighttime, Enigma and Nostalgia".Herrera 1999
Herrera, Hayden. "Arshile Gorky at Gagosian." Art in America (New York) 87 (May 1999), discussed p. 152, as "Nighttime, Enigma and Nostalgia".Spender 1999
Spender, Matthew. From a High Place: A Life of Arshile Gorky. New York: A.A. Knopf, 1999, ill. in b/w, p. 89, as "Nighttime, Enigma and Nostalgia" , n.d.Rosenblum 1999c
Rosenblum, Robert. "De Chirico's Long American Shadow." In On Modern American Art: Selected Essays by Robert Rosenblum. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1999, fig. 25, ill. in b/w, p. 51, as "Nighttime, Enigma and Nostalgia".Beredjiklian 2007
Beredjiklian, Alexandre. Arshile Gorky: sept thèmes majeurs. Suresnes, France: Alphamédian & Johanet; Lisbon: Fondation Calouste Gulbenkian, 2007. Monograph, discussed pp. 24, 30, 35, 63, as "Nuit, énigme et nostalgie".Alberro 2010
Alberro, Alexander. "The Apprenticeship of Arshile Gorky: On Arshile Gorky at the Philadelphia Museum of Art." Texte zur Kunst (Cologne) 77 (March 2010), discussed pp. 147, 209, as "Nighttime, Enigma, and Nostalgia".Patterson 2020
Patterson, Jody. Modernism for the Masses: Painters, Politics, and Public Murals in 1930s New York. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2020, fig. 25, ill. in color, p. 70, as "Nighttime, Enigma and Nostalgia".Related Work
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