Gordon Walters

Aotearoa New Zealand, b.1919, d.1995

Untitled

  • 1987
  • Acrylic on canvas
  • Purchased, 1987
  • Reproduced courtesy of the Gordon Walters Estate
  • 915 x 735mm
  • 87/39

For the exhibition Untitled #1050 (25 November 2017 – 14 October 2018) this work was displayed with the following label:

“I like the rigorous quality of geometric abstract painting. I like the clarity of idea. I like the means used. I like the severity and the rigour of it. I don’t think this is a limitation. I think this is something which frees you to all kinds of investigation. It opens up all kinds of possibilities.”

—Gordon Walters, 1975

Exhibition History

earlier labels about this work
  • Art Detectives, 20 October 2006 - 25 March 2007

    Can the secret of this painting be unlocked? What can it mean? It’s time to get on the case!

    The artist Gordon Walters seems to have been making his own investigation - into what makes a painting. Deliberately limiting his use of shape and colour, he has worked skilfully to create a serene, balanced, geometric work. While this is hard-edged and mathematical, it is also puzzle-like and playful, showing that even the simplest of enquiries can result in discovery and learning.

    did you know… ‘Minimalism’ is the name for a style of art (usually in painting or sculpture) in which the artist is interested in reducing their work to the simplest shapes or forms, and sometimes colours. It’s different to other kinds of art because it’s not about making an artwork ‘of something’ - instead the artwork itself is the thing to be experienced.