Noah Davis, Single Mother with Father Out of the Picture, 2007-2008. © The Estate of Noah Davis. Courtesy The Estate of Noah Davis. — Noah Davis, *Single Mother with Father Out of the Picture*, 2007-2008. © The Estate of Noah Davis. Courtesy The Estate of Noah Davis.

Five years ago, we lost Noah Davis, an artistic savant who succumbed to a rare form of cancer at the age of 32. In spite of his early death, Davis was able to amass a masterful body of work consisting of 400+ paintings and sculptures. Recently, Helen Molesworth – curator, friend and colleague of Davis – gathered and showcased an intimate selection of his oeuvre at David Zwirner.

Similar to the aura of death, Davis’ palette was often dark, nocturnal and doleful. He methodically employed gloomy greens, dusky purples and deep-sea blues as his signature. In his Pueblo del Rio paintings –Arabesque and Concerto, which are separate but appear to be symphonic in composition – Davis painted the night sky purple. Arabesque portrays several Black ballerinas dancing outside in unison; and Concerto exhibits a single figure playing the piano in what seems to be complete “solitude.” However, when the two paintings are juxtaposed, one can see how the application of purple serves as symbiotic uniformity between the paintings. As I walked through the gallery, the paintings felt earnest and soulful, as if Davis had poured himself into them. One particular painting, Untitled (Moses), a portrait of his son climbing out of a kitchen sink, made me reminisce on the rambunctiousness of my own son. Davis’ talent was to make one visually feel realness in his canvases.

Noah Davis’ life was brief yet prolific in his contribution to the world. In addition to his robust body of work, he was also the Co-Founder of The Underground Museum, along with his wife and fellow artist Karon Davis. The UM’s mission is to bring museum-caliber art locally to underprivileged African-American and Latinx communities in L.A. Davis believed all kids deserved access to a space where they could explore art by established artists. This speaks volumes of what Davis stood for as an artist, philanthropist, and father.

Noah Davis was on view from January 16, to February 22, 2020 at David Zwirner in NYC.