Nothing But Time: Paul Thek Revisited 1964-1987
Pace London, 6 Burlington Gardens - first floor gallery, W1S 3ET
25 September-9 November 2013
From the Press Release
Curated by Kenny Schachter, Nothing But Time: Paul Thek Revisited 1964 - 1987 features a rare and unprecedented group of Paul Thek works, across all the media he worked and never seen before to this extent in the UK. With the show presented at Pace in April-May 1966 in New York, titled Paul Thek: Recent Work as a stepping stone, this exhibition is a unique new perspective on Thek and will mark a historic moment reuniting the artist with the gallery.
‘Rarely does such an influential artist that has impacted artists as diverse as Mike Kelley to Damien Hirst, fly below the radar as much as Paul Thek since his untimely death at 55 years old in 1988.’ Kenny Schachter, August 2013. From the earliest paintings on newspaper and the singular Technological Reliquary sculptures to the late watercolours he painted prior to his premature death in 1988, the exhibition explores Paul Thek’s pioneering spirit and presents a concise overview of a truly expressive and forward thinking artist. The exhibition also features a rare and unparalleled 1969 sketchbook with a series of self-portraits and a glimpse into the thought process and working methods of the artist.
Nothing But Time can suggest a metaphysical expanse, a death sentence, or both. In Thek’s case, the passage of time has ameliorated the shameful lack of recognition for his deserved and varied body of work. ‘I sometimes think that there is nothing but time, that what you see and what you feel is what time looks like at the moment.’ Paul Thek, Processions Catalogue, Suzanne Delehanty, 1977, Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, page 58.
