Richard Nonas

Richard Nonas, an American sculptor and anthropologist, explored themes of space, place, and deep time through his Post-Minimalist sculptures.

Biography of Richard Nonas

Richard Nonas was born in 1936 in New York. He earned degrees in literature and anthropology from a variety of institutions, including the University of Michigan, Lafayette College, Columbia University, and the University of North Carolina.

Nonas spent a decade following his studies working as an anthropologist, conducting fieldwork on American Indian communities in Northern Ontario, Canada, and the border regions of Northern Mexico and Southern Arizona. In a significant career change, he transitioned to sculpture in the mid-1960s, around the age of 30.

His artistic career has been marked by a prolific exhibition history, encompassing both small and monumental works displayed in a variety of settings, from indoor galleries to vast outdoor spaces, across the U.S. and internationally. Nonas' notable solo exhibitions include "As Light Through Fog" at Fergus McCaffrey in New York (2022), "Richard Nonas: swerve (of shore) to bend (of bay)" at Galerie Hubert Winter in Vienna (2020), "Richard Nonas: (PARENTHESIS); (corner to corner, in place)" at Galerie Christophe Gaillard in Paris (2019), and many more.

Additionally, Richard Nonas participated in numerous group exhibitions held at prestigious venues worldwide, such as Miguel Abreu Gallery in New York, MAXXI Museum in Rome, Galerie Pietro Spartà in Chagny, Galleria P420 in Bologna, Yellowstone Art Museum in Billings, Galeriet Anders Tornberg in Lund, among many others. 

Richard Nonas died in May 2021. 

Richard Nonas' Art Style

Nonas's Post-minimalist sculptures, deeply concerned with space, place, and the passage of time, embraced experimentation in both presentation and materials. Throughout the 1970s, he explored the evocative power of everyday elements like granite curbstones and linear wooden beams. These works, often described as "talismanic objects," transcended their physical form to evoke a range of spiritual, emotional, and philosophical ideas.

His materials – timbers, linear beams, granite curbstones, and steel planes – were often grounded directly on the ground, acting less as standalone aesthetic pieces and more as markers that reshaped the very space they inhabited.

The experiences gleaned from Nonas' travels became a wellspring of inspiration for his art.