Ellsworth Kelly Exhibition
Taro Nasu
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Ellsworth Kelly
TARO NASU will present a solo exhibition of Ellsworth Kelly.
“I think that if you can turn off the mind and look only with the eyes, ultimately everything becomes abstract.”
Ellsworth Kelly (1923–2015) is often regarded as a singular giant in American contemporary art. He played a pivotal role in shaping the development of Hard-Edge Painting and Color Field Painting. Characterized by geometric forms and strikingly vivid colors, Kelly’s work was a lifelong pursuit of abstracting the natural world—deconstructing objects into pure color and form.
During World War II, Kelly was assigned to a special unit known as the “Ghost Army,” where he contributed to the design and fabrication of camouflage for military vehicles, airfields, and encampments, as well as acoustic deception tactics used against German forces. After the war, he spent several years in France (1948–1954), drawing inspiration from Jean Arp’s embrace of chance in artistic creation and Henri Matisse’s refined, reductive lines. Building upon these influences, Kelly developed his distinctive abstract language—often described as possessing a reductive clarity—while remaining deeply rooted in his direct observations of the world. This foundation underscores a fundamental pursuit in his work: the liberation of form from the traditional hierarchy of figure and ground.
This exhibition presents 17 works, including paintings from the 1960s, alongside collages, drawings, and photographs, offering a multifaceted exploration of Kelly’s artistic vision.
“I have worked to free shape from its ground, and then to work the shape so that it has a definite relationship to the space around it; so that it has a clarity and a measure within itself of its parts.”
“I think that if you can turn off the mind and look only with the eyes, ultimately everything becomes abstract.”
Ellsworth Kelly (1923–2015) is often regarded as a singular giant in American contemporary art. He played a pivotal role in shaping the development of Hard-Edge Painting and Color Field Painting. Characterized by geometric forms and strikingly vivid colors, Kelly’s work was a lifelong pursuit of abstracting the natural world—deconstructing objects into pure color and form.
During World War II, Kelly was assigned to a special unit known as the “Ghost Army,” where he contributed to the design and fabrication of camouflage for military vehicles, airfields, and encampments, as well as acoustic deception tactics used against German forces. After the war, he spent several years in France (1948–1954), drawing inspiration from Jean Arp’s embrace of chance in artistic creation and Henri Matisse’s refined, reductive lines. Building upon these influences, Kelly developed his distinctive abstract language—often described as possessing a reductive clarity—while remaining deeply rooted in his direct observations of the world. This foundation underscores a fundamental pursuit in his work: the liberation of form from the traditional hierarchy of figure and ground.
This exhibition presents 17 works, including paintings from the 1960s, alongside collages, drawings, and photographs, offering a multifaceted exploration of Kelly’s artistic vision.
“I have worked to free shape from its ground, and then to work the shape so that it has a definite relationship to the space around it; so that it has a clarity and a measure within itself of its parts.”
Schedule | Mar 22 (Sat) 2025-May 10 (Sat) 2025 Opening Hours Information
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| Fee | Free | ||||
| Venue | Taro Nasu http://www.taronasugallery.com/en/  | ||||
| Location | 4F Piramide Bldg., 6-6-9 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0032 | ||||
| Access | 2 minute walk from exit 1b at Roppongi Station on the Hbiya or Toei Oedo line, 12 minute walk from exit 3 at Nogizaka Station on the Chiyoda line, 13 minute walk from exit 7 at Azabu-juban Station on the Namboku or Toei Oedo line. | ||||
| Phone | 03-5786-6900 | ||||
| Related images | Click on the image to enlarge it  |
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