The gallery mourns the passing of artist and dear friend Dan Graham. 

Since the 1960s, Dan Graham has been a seminal figure within the world of contemporary art. Exploring the dynamics that find themselves at the intersection of art, architecture, pop culture, social spaces and engagement, Dan’s succinct and paired down aesthetic allows our attention to focus on the experiences and ideas that develop as we interact with his work and become a part of it ourselves.

Square Bisected by Curve (2008), Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Denmark

Through essays, videos, performances, photography, curatorial project and his now iconic pavilion installations, Dan’s pioneering works have inspired generations of artists and thinkers. Dan’s presence, work, ideas and influence will continue to guide and inspire us for years to come.

Dan loved people and company of people—both in regard to their involvement with his work, but also on a personal level. Uninterested in hierarchies and comfortable with museum directors and art students alike, Dan was always ready with amusing anecdotes, interpretations of astrology, and a sharp and very personal analysis of art, architecture, and politics. Above all, Dan always had a multitude of questions as well as answers for whoever he was engaging with.

Present Continuous Past(s) (1974)

His unwavering curiosity was inspirational and contagious, creating an energy that could be felt by everyone around him.

This energy can equally be felt throughout his artistic practice. Dan once said that his pavilions were for children to play and for their parents to take photographs. This unpretentious approach to his own work echos Dan’s understanding of the impact of his practice and his inherent generosity. 

Dan’s influence reverberates beyond the art world. Dan has transcended borders, having had an incredible impact on so many things and people, from children playing in his pavilion to the countless students attending the many lectures, to the people who walk by and reflect themselves in his works every day in cities around the world. Dan might not have been aware how much he himself has affected our lives, but everyone who has been in the presence of him and his work knows.

Dan’s playful and inquiring mind have made their mark on so many, and his passing is an immense loss for all those touched by him. Our deepest sympathies are with his wife, family and friends.

To look back at Nicolai Wallner in conversation with Dan Graham in his installation “No Exit” (2019) at Frieze London 2019, talking about childhood and young adulthood, his inspiration, the state of museums, Sonic Youth, and astrology among so many other things, please click here.