The Underground Museum has reopened after a long pandemic-induced closure. It’s a community and art space in LA’s Arlington Heights, a working-class Black and Latino neighborhood. It was founded in 2012 by painter Noah Davis and his wife Karon.
When Davis died at age 32 in 2015, he left behind 400 paintings, collages and sculptures, often featuring moody portraits of everyday life, or more surreal portraits of the living and maybe not so living. A new exhibition at the Underground features about 20 paintings from Davis.
“Some of the paintings in the show were based on photographs that [Davis’] mother had taken,” says Lindsay Preston Zappas, founder and editor-in-Chief of Contemporary Art Review Los Angeles. Photo courtesy of David Zwirner.
“I think [Davis] really challenged himself, and didn’t box himself into one way of painting or making art,” says Preston Zappas. Photo courtesy of Sam and Shanit Schwartz.
Noah Davis lived to age 32 and created 400 works of art. Photo by Patrick O’Brien-Smith.