Arshile Gorky Catalogue Raisonné
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Stefan Altenburger Photography Zürich
D0192
[Nighttime, Enigma, and Nostalgia: 1934]
c. 1933–34
Ink on paper
9 1/2 x 29 in. (24.1 x 73.7 cm)
Recto not inscribed
Verso not seen
Hauser & Wirth
Exhibitions
1951a New York likely
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, Arshile Gorky Memorial Exhibition, January 5–February 18, 1951, no. 64, p. 48, dated c. 1932. Traveled to: Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, March 4–April 22, 1951; San Francisco Museum of Art, California, May 9–July 9, 1951.
1962–68 IC–MoMA
Museum of Modern Art, New York, International Council (organizer), Arshile Gorky Drawings, 1962–68, MoMA no. 62.1066, as "Study for a Mural," dated 1929–32, [Tokyo: no. 8, ill. in b/w; Germany: no. 8; UK: no. 8; Rotterdam: no. 22; Vienna: no. 8, ill. in b/w, p. 13; Lisbon: no. 8; Oslo: no. 8; Lund: no. 8; Basel: no. 8; Zagreb: no. 8, ill. in b/w; Rome: no. 7, ill. in b/w; Buenos Aires: no. 8; Caracas: no. 8; Bogotá: no. 8; Mexico City: no. 8]. Traveled to: Newcomb College, Tulane University, New Orleans, September 23–October 14, 1962; Chatham College, Pittsburgh, October 29–November 19, 1962; Watkins Institute, Nashville, January 9–30, 1963; Spiva Art Center, Joplin, Missouri, February 7–28, 1963; Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton, Massachusetts, March 15–April 5, 1963; Marshall College, Huntington, West Virginia, April 22–May 13, 1963; Seibu Gallery, Seibu Department Store, Tokyo, July 26–August 11, 1963; Westmar College, LeMars, Iowa, September 2–23, 1963; Washington University, Saint Louis, October 4–25, 1963; Arts Club of Chicago, November 10–December 15, 1963; Indiana University, Bloomington, January 2–23, 1964; Wells College, Aurora, New York, February 7–28, 1964; Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, March 16–April 6, 1964; Jewish Museum, New York, April 21–June 30, 1964; Badischer Kunstverein, Karlsruhe, Germany, July 6–August 5, 1964; Hamburger Kunstverein, Hamburg, Germany, August 7–September 4, 1964; Amerika Haus, Berlin, September 11–October 6, 1964; Folkwangmuseum, Essen, Germany, October 15–November 15, 1964; York City Art Gallery, United Kingdom, December 5–30, 1964; Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, January 6–February 13, 1965; Midland Group Gallery, Nottingham, United Kingdom, February 20–March 6, 1965; City Art Gallery, Bristol, United Kingdom, March 13–April 3, 1965; National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh, April 10–May 1, 1965; Palais des Beaux Arts, Brussels, May 27–June 27, 1965; Boymans-van-Beuningen, Rotterdam, the Netherlands, July 24–September 5, 1965; Museum des 20ten Jahrhunderts, Vienna, September 18–October 17, 1965; Sociedade Nacional de Belas Artes, Lisbon, November 23–December 23, 1965; Kunstnernes Hus, Oslo, January 22–February 13, 1966; Lunds Konsthall, Lund, Sweden, March 5–April 1, 1966; Öffentliche Kunstmuseum, Basel, Switzerland, April 30–June 5, 1966; Galerija Grada Zagreba, Zagreb, Yugoslavia, June 21–July 10, 1966; Galerija Doma Omladine, Belgrade, Yugoslavia, October 6–16, 1966; Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna, Rome, April 2–May 15, 1967; Centro de Artes Visuales del Instituto Torcuato di Tella, Buenos Aires, November 29–December 23, 1967 (as Sobre papel: Obras de Arshile Gorky); Museo de Bellas Artes, Caracas, January 21–February 14, 1968; Biblioteca Luis Angel Arango, Bogotá, Colombia, March 21–April 5, 1968; Galeria Universitaria Aristos, Mexico City, May 3–June 5, 1968.
1965 AC–Brussels and Rotterdam
Arts Council of Great Britain, London (organizer), Arshile Gorky, Paintings and Drawings / Arshile Gorky: Schilderijen en Tekeningen, 1965, no. 22, as "Ontwerp voor een wandschildering / Study for a mural," dated 1929–1932. 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).
1969e New York
M. Knoedler & Co. Inc, New York, Gorky: Drawings, November 25–December 27, 1969. (Exhibition catalogue: Jordan 1969), no. 20, ill. in b/w, p. 23; p. 56, as "Study for a Mural," dated 1929–32.
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. 8, ill. in b/w, p. 71, as "Mural Study (Nighttime, Enigma and Nostalgia)," dated 1929–32. 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.
1981–82 New York
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, Arshile Gorky 1904–1948: A Retrospective, April 24–July 19, 1981, no. 50, ill. in b/w, p. 103, as "Untitled (Study for a Mural)," 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.
1990–92 Lausanne
Musée cantonal des Beaux-Arts, Lausanne, Switzerland, Arshile Gorky: Œuvres sur Papier, 1929–1947; Arbeiten auf Papier, 1929–1947, September 21–November 11, 1990, no. 15, ill. in b/w, p. 60; p. 194, as "Sans titre, étude pour la peinture murale / Ohne Titel, Studie zum Wandgemälde," dated c. 1934. Traveled to: Graphische Sammlung Albertina, Vienna, January 16–February 27, 1991; Musée Cantini, Marseille, France, March 15–May 30, 1991; Musée d'art Moderne de Saint Étienne, France, June 20–September 2, 1991; Frankfurter Kunstverein, Frankfurt, September 25–November 10, 1991; Kunsthalle Bremen, Germany, November 19, 1991–January 26, 1992.
1992–93 Venice
Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice, Italy, Arshile Gorky: Works on Paper / Opere su Carta, April–June 28, 1992, no. 8, ill. in color, p. 53, as "Study for the mural "1934" / Studio per il murale "1934,"" dated c. 1934. Traveled to: Palazzo delle Esponsizioni, Rome, October 14–November 30, 1992; Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, Lisbon, July 21–August 27, 1993.
1994–96 New York
Stephen Mazoh & Co. Inc, New York (organizer), Arshile Gorky and the Genesis of Abstraction: Drawings from the Early 1930s, 1994–96, no. 39, ill. in color, front and back covers, pp. 78–79, as "Study for a Mural". Traveled to: Art Museum, Princeton University, New Jersey, October 29, 1994–January 3, 1995; Milwaukee Art Museum, January 20–April 16, 1995; Stephen Mazoh & Co. Inc, New York, May–June 9, 1995; Baltimore Museum of Art, October 18, 1995–January 21, 1996.
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. 66–67 (Group 6: Study for Mural); p. 95, as "Untitled (Study for Mural 1934)".
2003–04b New York
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, Arshile Gorky: A Retrospective of Drawings, November 20, 2003–February 15, 2004, no. 15, ill. in color, p. 40; p. 242, as "Study for Mural". Traveled to: Menil Collection, Houston, March 5–May 9, 2004.
2019 Venice
Ca'Pesaro International Gallery of Modern Art, Venice, Italy, Arshile Gorky: 1904–1948, May 8–September 22, 2019, ill. in color, p. 151, as "Untitled (Study for Mural)".
2024c New York
Hauser & Wirth, New York, Arshile Gorky: New York City, September 4–October 26, 2024, no. 7, as "Untitled (Nighttime, Enigma, and Nostalgia: 1934)".
Literature
Fujimatsu 1963
Fujimatsu, Hiroshi. "Expert of Line and Life." Bijutsu Techo (Tokyo) 10 (October 1963), ill. in b/w, pp. 9–10.
Schulze 1963b
Schulze, Franz. "He Spoke the Abstract Idiom." Chicago Daily News, November 16, 1963, ill. in b/w, as "Study for a Mural".
Levy 1966
Levy, Julien. Arshile Gorky. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1966. Monograph, pl. 4, ill. in b/w, p. 16, as "Study for a Mural," dated 1929–32.
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. 32, as "Study for a Mural," dated c. 1931–32.
Karp 1982
Karp, Diane. "Arshile Gorky: The Language of Art." Ph.D. diss., University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 1982, fig. 46, ill. in b/w (repr. 90 degrees counterclockwise), p. 214, as "Untitled (Study for Mural)".
Spender 1999
Spender, Matthew. From a High Place: A Life of Arshile Gorky. New York: A.A. Knopf, 1999, ill. in b/w, p. 113, as "Study for a Mural".
Herrera 2003
Herrera, Hayden. Arshile Gorky: His Life and Work. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2003, fig. 93, ill. in b/w, as "Study for Mural".
Cooksey 2009
Cooksey, Chelsea L. "Arshile Gorky: The Abstraction of Symbol, Figure, and Form." M.A. Thesis, Purchase College, State University of New York, 2009, fig. 33, ill. in color, p. 70, as "1934 or Study for Murals".
Patterson 2009
Patterson, Jody. "'Flight from Reality'? A Reconsideration of Gorky's Politics and Approach to Public Murals in the 1930s." In Arshile Gorky: A Retrospective, edited by Michael Taylor. Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2009. Exhibition catalogue, fig. 53, ill. in b/w, p. 76, as "1934".
Spender 2018a
Spender, Matthew, ed. Arshile Gorky: The Plow and the Song: A Life in Letters and Documents. Zurich: Hauser & Wirth Publishers, 2018, ill. in color, p. 70, as "Untitled".
Spender 2019
Spender, Saskia. "The Liberation of an Artist / La Liberazione di un Artista." In Arshile Gorky: 1904–1948. Zurich: Hauser & Wirth Publishers, 2019. Exhibition catalogue, ill. in color, p. 12, as "Untitled (Study for Mural) / Senza titolo (Studio per murale)".
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. 23, ill. in color, pp. 68–69, as "1934," dated c. 1931–32.
Wilkin 2024
Wilkin, Karen. "'Arshile Gorky. New York City' Review: An Enigmatic Evolution." Wall Street Journal (online edition) (New York), October 7, 2024, ill. in color, as "Untitled (Nighttime, Enigma, and Nostalgia: 1934)".
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."

The imagery for the 1934 mural design is derived primarily from Gorky's "Nighttime, Enigma, and Nostalgia" series. In combining the various elements from the series, Gorky borrowed the compositional structure of Paolo Uccello's six-part tempera panel, Miracle of the Desecrated Host (c. 1467–69), black-and-white reproductions of which were pinned to his studio wall. 

On December 22, 1933, two days after joining the newly formed Public Works of Art Project (PWAP), Gorky submitted a "Subject Card" outlining his concepts for the mural and explaining: "My subject matter is directional. American plains are horizontal. New York City which I live in [sic] is vertical. In the middle of my picture stands a column which symbolizes the determination of the American nation. Various abstract scenes take place in the back of this column. My intention is to create objectivity of the articles which I have detached from their habitual surroundings to be able to give them heightened realism."1 Gorky's two applications describe the mural as a "graphic" work, titled 1934, with the following suggested installation sites: the "Port of New York Authority 15th St & 8th Ave," the "entrance to [the] museum of peaceful Arts," the "News Building 42 east 2 Ave in mashinery [sic] dept," or in "Technical Universities," such as an Engineering School.2

D0192, D0194, and D1531 are the only identified preparatory drawings for the project. The preliminary mural design was approved by the PWAP on February 13, 1934 (the exact drawing[s] submitted for review are unidentified). On February 16, 1934, Gorky commenced work on a color detail, in oil on canvas, measuring 25 x 40 inches (not identified; possibly not completed), for which he was advised to focus on the right-hand section of his design (as appears in D0192).3

Despite the PWAP's initial endorsement, Gorky was dropped from the organization's employment roster on April 29, 1934, possibly because his composition was considered too abstract by the Committee administrators, Juliana Force (1876–1948) and Lloyd Goodrich (1897–1987). The mural was never realized and the organization itself dissolved in June 1934. This is the only known project of Gorky's affiliated with the PWAP.

1. Arshile Gorky, "Public Works of Art Project, Subject Card," December 22, 1933, AGF Archives. "Arshile Gorky: Public Works of Art Project, Subject Card," December 22, 1933, in Matthew Spender, ed., Arshile Gorky: The Plow and the Song: A Life in Letters and Documents (Zurich: Hauser & Wirth Publishers, 2018), 69.

2. Arshile Gorky, "Public Works of Art [Project Proposal]," January 17, 1934, AGF Archives; see also: "Arshile Gorky: Returned PWAP Application Form," January 17, 1934, in Spender, ed., The Plow and the Song, 69–70. Arshile Gorky, "Project Description Form for the PWAP" (completed at the request of Lloyd Goodrich), February 16, 1934, AGF Archives; see also: "Arshile Gorky: Returned PWAP Form Relating to 1934," February 16, 1934, in Spender, ed., The Plow and the Song, 71.

3. Letter from Lloyd Goodrich to Arshile Gorky, February 13, 1934, AGF Archives; see also: Lloyd Goodrich to Arshile Gorky, February 13, 1934, in Spender, ed., The Plow and the Song, 70.

[Nighttime, Enigma, and Nostalgia: 1934], c. 1933–34, D0192. Paolo Uccello, Miracle of the Desecrated Host, scene 2, c. 1467–69. Oil on panel, 138 x 17 in. (350.3 x 43.2 cm). Galleria Nazionale della Marche, Urbino.
Paolo Uccello, Miracle of the Desecrated Host, scene 2, c. 1467–69. Oil on panel, 138 x 17 in. (350.3 x 43.2 cm). Galleria Nazionale della Marche, Urbino.
[Nighttime, Enigma, and Nostalgia: 1934], c. 1933–34, D0192. Gorky's personal copy of a reproduction of scenes 3 and 4 from Miracle of the Desecrated Host (c. 1467–69) by Paolo Uccello.
Gorky's personal copy of a reproduction of scenes 3 and 4 from Miracle of the Desecrated Host (c. 1467–69) by Paolo Uccello.

After works by other artists: Mario Tozzi; Paolo Uccello

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