About this artwork
On Kawara’s work renders the passage of time and one life within its continuum. From 1966 until his death, the artist produced thousands of works in a series called Today. In each, he painted the date (notably, without using stencils) in white on a monochromatic field. While usually not exhibited a newspaper accompanies every work to document the location and context of its execution. Kawara always began and completed these works on the date represented, and if he did not finish a painting on its date, he destroyed it. While following these self-imposed guidelines, Kawara used a set range of canvas sizes for his date paintings. Oct.
31, 1978 is one of only ten works painted at this scale, the largest used in the series.
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Status
- On View, Gallery 297
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Department
- Contemporary Art
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Artist
- On Kawara
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Title
- Oct. 31, 1978 (Today Series, "Tuesday")
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Place
- United States (Artist's nationality:)
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Date
- Made 1978
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Medium
- Acrylic on canvas, with two newspapers
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Dimensions
- 155 × 226 cm (61 × 89 in.)
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Credit Line
- Twentieth-Century Purchase Fund
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Reference Number
- 1980.2a-b
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Copyright
- © On Kawara. Courtesy David Zwirner, New York
Extended information about this artwork
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.