Blair Thurman lives and works in Hudson, New York. He is known for shaped canvas and neon works; abstraction sourced from vernacular visual culture and deep historical consciousness, strongly rooted in Pop and Minimalism. Thurman’s formal content ranges from childhood toys and relics, pop songs, automobile culture, and the history of film. Starting with a concept of “less than” painting in the early ‘90s, Thurman showed with Steven Parrino and is part of a bridge of artists working between NY-PARIS-SWITZERLAND with strong ties to monochromatic painting.
Born in New Orleans in 1961, Thurman has a B.F.A. from the Nova Scotia College of Art & Design (NASCAD) and an M.F.A. from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He shows with Gagosian Gallery, New York; Peres Projects, Berlin; and Galerie Frank Elbaz, Paris and Dallas; among others.
Thurman’s Speedway was included in the Unlimited section of Art Basel 2019. Other selected exhibitions include Bastard Kids of Drella, Le Consortium, Dijon (1999) and Return of the Creature, Kuenstlerhaus Palais Thurn-und-Taxis, Bregenz (2003),both curated by Steven Parrino; Bastard Creature, Palais de Tokyo, Paris (2007); Born to Be Wild, Kunstmuseum St. Gallen (2009); American Exuberance, Rubell Family Collection, Miami (2011); Blair Thurman, MAGASIN Centre National d’Art Contemporain de Grenoble (2014); Flatland : abstractions narratives, Musée régional d’art contemporain (MRAC) Languedoc- Roussillon, Sérignan (2017); Alentour, curated by John M. Armleder, CAB Brussels (2019); None of the Above, 2004-2020 & All of the Above, 2011-2020, curated by John M. Armleder for “It Never Ends,” Kanal Pompidou, Brussels (2020); Milléniales. Peintures 2000-2020, curated by Vincent Pécoil, FRAC Nouvelle-Aquitaine MECA (2020).
