Tobi Kahn – Quest for the Essence

Distributed by University Press of Florida on behalf of Boca Raton Museum of Art

The career of New York artist Tobi Kahn (b.1952) can be best defined by seeming opposites: consistency and change. The magic of his practice is that the two coexist and not only complement but enhance one another. Quest for the Essence, organized by the Boca Raton Museum of Art, illustrates how Kahn’s art embraces and refines this duality during a career of more than 40 years. Kahn’s paintings, works on paper, sculptures, and ritual objects embody his quest for the essence of places, people, and things. Kahn’s art has often been described in relationship to spirituality, and specifically to Judaism, whose teachings and practices are integral to his life. Yet his vision embraces more than any one religion or belief system. The universality of Kahn’s art lies in its generous search for community and healing. The works in the exhibition were deliberately chosen to illustrate what has been most important to Kahn throughout his career: they are all from the artist’s collection, still adorning the walls of his studio in Long Island City and serving as context and inspiration for his journey. The exhibition, in turn, invites you to take your own journey in discovering the richness and healing power of Tobi Kahn’s art.