LUC TYMANS : The Fruit Basket
Nov 6 - Dec 20, 2025
David Zwirner Gallery, 533 W 19th St, New York, NY 10011
This was my first time seeing this master’s work in person, and I came back as a devoted fan. The solo exhibition of Luc Tuymans, often called the "painter’s painter," was held at David Zwirner. It seems the show is currently traveling to the West Coast as well. Tuymans is a key figure who led the revival of painting, proving just how powerful the medium can still be through his signature pale and chilly style.
He depicts the dark underbellies of society—such as the Holocaust, colonial history, or things we often try to look away from—in a very subtle and restrained manner. His paintings look like faded photographs or seem blurry as if covered in mist. He is known for the essence of "intellectual painting," which encourages viewers to think for themselves rather than exploding with emotion. Personally, I fell in love with his technique so much that I want to see his work more often, though I get the feeling he might not hold exhibitions all that frequently.
The Fruit Basket
데이비드 즈워너(David Zwirner)는 새롭게 단장한 서부 19번가 533번지 공간에서 벨기에 예술가 뤽 튀망(Luc Tuymans)의 신작 회화 전시를 개최하게 되어 기쁩니다. 튀망은 1994년부터 데이비드 즈워너와 함께해 왔으며, 이번 전시는 이 거장 작가가 갤러리와 함께하는 18번째 개인전입니다. 이번 전시 '과일 바구니(The Fruit Basket)'는 2026년 2월 데이비드 즈워너 로스앤젤레스로 이어질 예정입니다.
이번 전시는 현재 미국 특유의 만연한 분열된 분위기를 다룹니다. 현대적 경험이 수많은 매체를 통해 전달되는 상태를 전면에 내세우며, 튀망은 이번 전시 전반에 걸쳐 예상치 못한 리듬으로 등장하는 다양한 주제와 형식적 접근을 통해 점차 심화되는 해체와 소멸의 감각을 강화합니다. 전시 전반에 걸쳐 그는 자신이 엄선한 이미지들이 지닌 고도의 인위성에 맞춰 색조를 조절하며, 스케일과 기법의 예리한 병치를 통해 생각할 거리를 던져주는 장면들을 만들어냅니다.
David Zwirner is pleased to announce an exhibition of new paintings by Belgian artist Luc Tuymans on view at the gallery’s newly renovated 533 West 19th Street location. Tuymans has been represented by David Zwirner since 1994; this is the celebrated artist’s eighteenth solo show with the gallery. The Fruit Basket will travel to David Zwirner Los Angeles in February 2026.
This presentation considers the pervasive atmosphere of fracture that is specific to the United States at this moment. Foregrounding the highly mediated state of contemporary experience, Tuymans reinforces a growing sense of dissolution through varied subject matter and formal approaches, which appear in an unexpected cadence across this exhibition. Throughout, he modulates the tonality of his colors to match the heightened artificiality of the imagery he has carefully chosen, creating thought-provoking juxtapositions of scale and technique.
Original Text from David Zwirner Gallery
전통적인 회화의 가치를 고민하는 전공자들에게는 새로운 해답을, 현대 사회의 불안과 소외를 예술로 마주하고 싶은 관람객들에게는 깊은 사유의 시간을 선물하는 전시였어요. 그럼 이번 전시 리뷰도 여러분께 유익한 영감이 되었길 바라며 마무리할게요. 감사합니다.
Although the number of works was not large, the exhibition left a profound impression on me. As someone who often contemplates the essence of painting, I find that the work of such a master provides a deep resonance even without detailed explanations. Luc Tuymans’s exhibition was a powerful demonstration of how the classical medium of painting can collide and coexist with our digitized world.
In particular, the eerie blue light and the sense of fragmentation I felt standing before the massive, nine-part "The Fruit Basket" will stay with me for a long time. I was deeply impressed by his insight in bringing the cold texture of the digital screens we encounter every day onto the canvas. For art majors pondering the value of traditional painting, this show offers a new perspective; for general viewers, it provides a moment of deep reflection on the anxiety and alienation of modern society. I hope this review has been an inspiring one for you. Thank you.