Castello 925 presents the watercolors, gouaches and works on paper of the late New York artist Bruce Cahn. Cahn’s work is known not only for his accomplished techniques, but also for its powerful symbolic imagery. These artworks range from realistic depictions of the human form in all of the varieties of ages, shapes and colors to elegant abstract mandalas that chart a private, spiritual journey.  

A prolific yet reclusive artist, Cahn’s art practice was both obsessive and spiritual, working tirelessly in the belief that visual perfection would prepare him for his next life. This exhibition of works on paper by Bruce Cahn is aligned with the theme of the 60th Venice Biennale, Foreigners Everywhere, in that Cahn’s work shifts in perspective from the human form to the inner spirit much as a foreigner journeys to the lands’ edge. As a foreigner in his own body, Bruce Cahn spiritually transcended at the end of his life through his art practice. 

About Bruce Cahn:

Born in the Bronx, Bruce Cahn led an eccentric, solitary life driven by an all-consuming desire to absorb himself into an ongoing creative process. The son of a prominent New York City caterer, Cahn spent his childhood comfortable but socially disinterested, preferring to spend time sculpting and drawing. After his graduation from Horace Mann High School, Cahn studied with sculptor Harvey Fite at Bard College and then with José Mariano de Creeft at the Rhode Island School of Design. A life-time member of the Arts Student League in New York City, Bruce Cahn worked obsessively in his small apartment/studio and later, in his Woodstock, New York cottage. Apart from a solo exhibit at the Horace Mann Fisher Gallery, Bruce Cahn avoided showing his artworks so as not to be distracted from his intensive art practice. This special solo exhibition at Castello 925 is the first time these works on paper by Bruce Cahn have ever been exhibited.