TARO NASU is pleased to announce a solo exhibition by Anne Truitt, opening on August 29.

Anne Truitt was born in Baltimore in 1921. After receiving a degree in psychology from Bryn Mawr College in 1943, she worked as a nurse’s aide during World War II while also writing poetry and short stories. Following her marriage, she moved to Washington, D.C., where she continued to write and translate. In 1949, she studied sculpture for one year at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Washington, D.C., an experience that marked the beginning of her engagement with the visual arts. Her early works were largely figurative sculptures, reflecting her explorations with a variety of materials and techniques such as clay, cement, plaster, and iron. From the 1960s onward, she turned to geometric wooden sculptures—later recognized as her signature style—shaped in part by the influence of artists like Ad Reinhardt and Barnett Newman, as well as by her exchanges with fellow artists. Her participation in landmark group exhibitions such as Black, White and Grey (Wadsworth Atheneum, 1964) and Primary Structures (The Jewish Museum, 1966) made clear that her work was highly regarded during her lifetime and has continued to hold a strong presence in art history.
In parallel with her artistic practice, Truitt also pursued a consistent writing career. Her reflections on the circumstances of her work and her philosophy of art have been published in five volumes: Daybook (Pantheon, 1982), Turn (Viking, 1986), Prospect (Scribner, 1996), Yield (Yale University Press, 2022), and Always Reaching (Yale University Press, 2023), all of which have been met with critical acclaim.

This exhibition presents three white paintings and one sculpture from her well-known Arundel series, together with drawings. Truitt’s works, which she herself painted to completion, shine with a unique radiance within the history of Minimalism. They convey personal experiences and memories within the tension between form and color, expressing restrained yet deeply rich emotions. Her practice can be seen as the trace of a journey of inquiry—at once artist, teacher, wife, daughter, and mother—sometimes wavering, yet persistently seeking something unshakable.

Anne Truitt
Born in Maryland, United States, in 1921. Died in 2004.

Selected exhibitions include: In the Tower: Anne Truitt (National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., USA, 2017–2018); Anne Truitt: Intersections (Baltimore Museum of Art, Maryland, USA, 2016); Anne Truitt in Japan (Matthew Marks Gallery, New York, USA, 2015); Anne Truitt: Works from the Estate (Stephen Friedman Gallery, London, UK, 2011); Anne Truitt: Sculpture and Drawings, 1961–1973 (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, USA, 1973–74); Primary Structures(The Jewish Museum, New York, USA, 1966); Truitt (Minami Gallery, Tokyo, 1967 and 1964); and Truitt First Solo Exhibition (André Emmerich Gallery, New York, USA, 1963). In 2017, the Dia Art Foundation announced a major acquisition of her sculptures and paintings, which were exhibited long-term at Dia Beacon in New York through the end of 2021. A large-scale retrospective of her work is scheduled to be held at the Museo Reina Sofía in Madrid, Spain, in 2026.