Peter Nagy (artist)

Peter Nagy (born 1959)^[1] is an American artist known for his post-conceptual art of the 1980s and as an active art gallerist. He is the owner of Gallery Nature Morte, which was founded in New York City's East Village in 1982 and was part of the Collins & Milazzo exhibitions sensual conceptualism scene.^[2] It closed in 1988, and in 1992, Nagy moved to New Delhi, India, where Gallery Nature Morte is now located.^[3]

Peter Nagy in 2014

Early life

Nagy was born in 1959 in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He studied at the Parsons School of Design, receiving a degree in communication design in 1981.^[4]

Career as gallerist

With artist Alan Belcher, Nagy opened Gallery Nature Morte in East Village, Manhattan, in 1982.^[5][6] Nagy was part of a generation of East Village artist/gallery owners who established a small but trendy avant-garde alternative to the established SoHo art scene.^[7] The gallery was open for six years, until 1988.^[6] It combined conceptualism and pop art, exploring the relationship between art and commodity.^[8][9]

In 1992, Nagy moved to New Delhi, where he revived Gallery Nature Morte in 1997.^[10][11] Indian artist Subodh Gupta has said of him: "he has fresh eyes and has provided a platform for contemporary artists."^[12] In 2021, the gallery opened two additional exhibition spaces in the Indian capital.^[13]

Art career

In the early 1980s, Nagy became known for works he created by mixing painting techniques with the technology of Xerox photocopy machines.^[14][15] One series executed during this period, International Survey Condominiums, used photocopying as a tool to combine timelines of art history with the floor plans of art museums.^[14][16]

Nagy's work is included in the collections of the Whitney Museum,^[17] the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art,^[18] the Brooklyn Museum,^[19] and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.^[20]

In 2014, Eisbox Projects published an exhaustive account of Nagy's work by Richard Milazzo in the book Peter Nagy, Entertainment Erases History – Works 1982 to 2004 to the Present.^[21]

In 2020, Deitch Projects held a retrospective exhibition in New York City of Nagy's works from the 1980s.^[16][22][23]

His work is exhibited at the New York gallery Magenta Plains.^[24]

See also

• Post-conceptual art
• Conceptual art

References

1. Gregorio Magnani; Daniela Salvioni; Giorgio Verzotti (June 1989). Special affects: the photographic experience in contemporary art. Giancarlo Politi. ISBN 9788878160101. Retrieved August 16, 2011.
2. "Richard Milazzo". richardmilazzo.com. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
3. "Nature Morte". artbasel.com. August 10, 2019. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
4. "Trademark Artist: Peter Nagy". Mousse Magazine (in Italian). July 2, 2020.
5. Jens Hoffmann (2004). The next Documenta should be curated by an artist. Revolver, Archiv für aktuelle Kunst. ISBN 9783936919059. Retrieved August 15, 2011.
6. Goldsworthy, Rupert (May 19, 2010). . Art in America. Brant Publications. Archived from the original on March 23, 2012. Retrieved August 15, 2011.
7. New York Media (June 22, 1987). "New York Magazine". Newyorkmetro.com. New York Media, LLC: 49–55. ISSN 0028-7369. Retrieved August 16, 2011.
8. Peter Nagy on Decades as an Artist and Dealer Both, ARTnews, Anne Duran, July 24, 2020 [1]
9. New York Media (June 25, 1990). "New York Magazine". Newyorkmetro.com. New York Media: 46–52. ISSN 0028-7369. Retrieved August 16, 2011.
10. Anthony P. D'Costa (December 1, 2010). A New India?: Critical Reflections in the Long Twentieth Century. Anthem Press. pp. 181–. ISBN 978-0-85728-664-2. Retrieved August 15, 2011.
11. Mehra, Pallavi (October 24, 2019). "Nature Morte". Architectural Digest India.
12. "An eye for talent". Business Standard India. Business-standard.com. August 6, 2011. Retrieved August 15, 2011.^{[dead link]}
13. Jayakar, Devyani (April 24, 2021). "Nature Morte opens two new galleries in New Delhi". Architectural Digest India.
14. Eklund, Douglas; Alteveer, Ian; Brown, Meredith A.; Miller, John; Olmsted, Kathryn; Saunders, Beth; Lethem, Jonathan (September 17, 2018). Everything Is Connected: Art and Conspiracy. Metropolitan Museum of Art. ISBN 978-1-58839-659-4.
15. New York Magazine. New York Media. November 14, 1988.
16. "Jan Avgikos on Peter Nagy". www.artforum.com.
17. "Peter Nagy". whitney.org.
18. "Overwhelmed by the Imagination". www.moca.org.
19. "Brooklyn Museum". www.brooklynmuseum.org.
20. "International Survey Condominiums". www.metmuseum.org.
21. "Richard Milazzo". richardmilazzo.com. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
22. Doran, Anne (July 24, 2020). "Peter Nagy on Decades as an Artist and Dealer Both: 'You Don't Realize How Fast the Art World Can Spin on a Dime'". ARTnews.com.
23. "Peter Nagy "Entertainment Erases History" Jeffrey Deitch / New York |". Flash Art. March 26, 2020.
24. "Peter Nagy". magentaplains.com. Retrieved March 26, 2024.