Kazuko Inoue: Thirty Years of Painting

KAZUKO INOUE

T H I R T Y Y E A R S O F PA I N T I N G

“I aim to achieve spirituality, intelligence,

and serenity in my paintings.” — K A Z U KO I N O U E

S E P T E M B E R 1 0 – O C T O B E R 2 4 , 2 0 1 5

A L L A N S T O N E P R O J E C T S • N E W Y O R K

KAZUKO INOUE

T H I R T Y Y E A R S O F PA I N T I N G

SELECTED FROM THE ALLAN STONE COLLECTION , Kazuko Inoue: Thirty Years

of Painting surveys paintings and works on paper from 1979 to 2010 that

demonstrate the artist’s devoted exploration of color. From the early pulsating

works of varied hues to the later monochromatic grid paintings, Inoue’s

development of paint application is evident in these kaleidoscopic yet

interconnected series of works.

Often using a square format and focused on the supremacy of color, Inoue

nods to the masters of early modern art such as Kasimir Malevich and Henri

Matisse. According to the artist, the square provides “maximum purity and lyrical

sensation,” acting as a confined arena where an assortment of tones play off

of one another. Some of these early works contain multiple frameworks within

themselves, camouflaged by thick layers of dappled paint. The juxtaposition

between the structured layout and variation of color patterns results in a visually

potent body of work.

In a few paintings from the mid 1980’s and 1990’s, Inoue dissolves the grid,

exploring looser diagonal brushstrokes to create overall cascades. Thicker

blocks of color arrangements comingle and offer a glimpse into the artist’s study

of tonal relationships. In the later paintings of the 1990’s and 2000’s, the grid

composition returns, becoming the subject of this series. Nuanced exchanges

are formed between subtle hues of the same color within a nine or four-grid

canvas. Multiple layers of different colored squares are divided by thin canals of

color that expose the underlying layers beneath the surface as well as the tactile

nature of the paint. These later paintings underscore the Minimalist aspects of

Inoue’s oeuvre that have been present all along.

Kazuko Inoue was born in Tokyo, Japan in 1946. She moved to the United States

in the 1960s, and received her BFA and MFA from Michigan State University. A

significant proponent of Inoue’s work, Allan Stone included the artist in many

group exhibitions beginning in 1981 and gave her regular solo exhibitions until

2006. She has also received several solo and group exhibitions throughout the

Northeast and Midwest. She is included in public and corporate collections such

as the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Connecticut, the Newark Museum,

New Jersey, the Mobil Oil Corporation and Bank of America. Inoue lives and

works in Pennsylvania.

P R E F A C E

1 Untitled

1979–1980 / acrylic on canvas

50 x 50 inches / 127 x 127 cm

2 Untitled

1980 / acrylic on canvas

51¼ x 51¼ inches / 130.2 x 130.2 cm

3 Untitled


50½ x 50½ inches / 128.3 x 128.3 cm

4 Untitled


50 x 50 inches / 127 x 127 cm

5–8 Untitled

c. 1980 / acrylic on paper

10 x 10 inches / 25.4 x 25.4 cm

9 Untitled (000021)


78 x 90 inches / 198.1 x 228.6 cms

following spread

10 Untitled (diptych)


80 x 140 inches / 203.2 x 355.6 cms

11 Untitled (00136)

1990–91 / acrylic on canvas

72 x 84¼ inches / 182.9 x 214 cm

12 Untitled (00147)

2005 / acrylic on linen

20½ x 20½ inches / 52.1 x 52.1 cm

13 Untitled (00081)


36¼ x 36¼ inches / 92.1 x 92.1 cms

14 Untitled (00104)


60¼ x 60 inches / 153 x 152.4 cm

15 Untitled (00093)


60 x 60 inches / 152.4 x 152.4 cm

Produced on the occasion of the exhibition

KAZUKO INOUE

Thirty Years of Painting

September 10 – October 24, 2015

Cover: Untitled (00104) (detail), 2003.

Acrylic on linen, 60¼ x 60 inches (153 x 152.4 cm).

Design: Sarah Gifford

© Allan Stone Projects 2015

535 W 22nd Street, 3 FL

New York, NY, 10011

Tel: 212-987-4997

[email protected]

www.allanstoneprojects.com

President: Dorothy Goldeen

Director: Bo Joseph

Gallery Associate: Shania Naderipour

ALLANSTONEP R O J E C T S

Kazuko Inoue: Thirty Years of Painting

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