loading 
Catalogue Entry
enlarge
Photo: Leo Castelli Gallery records, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution
D0191
[Nighttime, Enigma, and Nostalgia: Objects]
1931–32
India ink and graphite pencil on paper
12 3/4 x 21 3/4 in. (32.4 x 55.2 cm)
Recto, upper right: Gorky
Verso not seen
Verso not seen
Provenance
Peter Busa, New York
Martha Jackson Gallery, New York (by 1953)
William Zierler, Woodmere, New York (December 22, 1958)
[Leo Castelli Gallery, New York (December 28, 1959)]
William Zierler, New York
[Leo Castelli Gallery, New York (February 1961)] . . .
Allan Stone Gallery, New York (c. 1961)
Beatrice and Philip Gersh, Beverly Hills, California (October 24, 1962)
Linda and Bob Gersh, Los Angeles, by descent (2011)
Exhibitions
1953d New York likely
Martha Jackson Gallery, New York, Selections from the Martha Jackson Gallery Collection, Summer 1953, no. 21, as "Untitled," dated 1933.1957 Brooklyn
Brooklyn Museum, New York, Golden Years of American Drawings, 1905–1956, January 22–March 17, 1957, p. 22, as "Untitled," dated 1932.1957d New York likely
Martha Jackson Gallery, New York, American and European Drawings Exhibition, May 8–June 15, 1957, as "Ink Drawing II," dated c. 1934.1962–63b New York
Museum of Modern Art, New York, Arshile Gorky, 1904–1948, December 19, 1962–February 12, 1963. (Exhibition catalogue: Seitz 1962), no. 22, ill. in b/w, p. 20, as "Drawing"; p. 53, as "Drawing (Nighttime, Enigma and Nostalgia)," dated c. 1931–32. Traveled to: Washington Gallery of Modern Art, D.C., March 12–April 14, 1963.1969e New York
M. Knoedler & Co. Inc, New York, Gorky: Drawings, November 25–December 27, 1969. (Exhibition catalogue: Jordan 1969), no. 13, ill. in b/w, p. 21; p. 55, as "Drawing for Nighttime, Enigma and Nostalgia," dated c. 1931–32.1973 Santa Barbara
Ruth Schaffner Gallery, Santa Barbara, California, Arshile Gorky: Drawings and Paintings from 1931–1946, March 25–April 29, 1973.1977 Claremont
Montgomery Art Gallery, Pomona College, Claremont, California, Works on Paper 1900–1960 from California Collections, September 18–October 27, 1977, no. 21, ill. in b/w, p. 115; ill. in b/w (detail), p. 25, as "Study for Nighttime, Enigma and Nostalgia". Traveled to: M.H. de Young Museum, San Francisco, November 11–December 31, 1977.1981–82 New York
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, Arshile Gorky 1904–1948: A Retrospective, April 24–July 19, 1981, no. 38, ill. in b/w, p. 92, as "Study for Nighttime, Enigma and Nostalgia," dated c. 1931–32. Traveled to: Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, September 12–November 6, 1981; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, December 3, 1981–February 28, 1982.Literature
Levy 1966
Levy, Julien. Arshile Gorky. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1966. Monograph, pl. 63, ill. in b/w, p. 87, as "Nighttime, Enigma, and Nostalgia," dated c. 1931–32.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. 4–3, ill. in b/w, p. 57, as "Nighttime, Enigma and Nostalgia," dated c. 1931–32.Waldman 1981
Waldman, Diane. "Arshile Gorky: Poet in Paint." In Arshile Gorky 1904–1948: A Retrospective. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc. in collaboration with The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, 1981. Exhibition catalogue, discussed p. 28, as "Nighttime, Enigma and Nostalgia".Karp 1982
Karp, Diane. "Arshile Gorky: The Language of Art." Ph.D. diss., University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 1982, fig. 28, ill. in b/w, p. 196, as "Study for 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. 52, ill. in b/w, as "Study for Nighttime, Enigma and Nostalgia".Rand 1991
Rand, Harry. Arshile Gorky: The Implication of Symbols. Rev. ed. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1991. Monograph, fig. 4–3, ill. in b/w, p. 63, as "Nighttime, Enigma and Nostalgia," dated c. 1931–32.Notes
Commentary
In 1929, Gorky began a series of abstract works which is now referred to as "Nighttime, Enigma, and Nostalgia." While he continued working on this until 1936, it was between 1931 and 1934 when he was most dedicated to developing the composition. Ultimately, he produced nearly one hundred drawings and three related paintings. The body of work can be divided into subsets, such as Objects and Enigma, which were Gorky's own titles, as well as the posthumously titled "Fish and Head," "Column with Objects" and "Écorché." This drawing is part of the subset Objects, of which there are thirty-two known examples. Its title derives from that which Gorky gave to the drawing D0140, when it was acquired by the Museum of Modern Art in January 1941 (see that work's commentary).
Related Work
loading
