Artist News and Awards
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Craig Kauffman news report for January 28, 2026
In the past two years, some wonderful Craig Kauffman shows have taken place. In many ways, Kauffman’s significance and legacy have been extended by the continued exposure. Some history with other artists has been uncovered, and some new connections have been made. That is the main purpose of the Estate of Craig Kauffman. That exhibition progress can be tracked on the website: www.craigkauffman.com
Exhibitions:
As I wrote before, Craig’s friend Alan Lynch’s work was shown in Los Angeles in May of 2025 at Chateau Shatto. A large 1962 drawing and two others from 1958 were included near the entrance to the wonderful show of Alan Lynch drawings and watercolors:
Another large exhibit, highly researched and broadly presented, was The Inoperative Community: exhibition X practice, UCI 1965—2025, held at the UC Irvine Claire Trevor School of the Arts. On view from September 27 to December 13, the show was driven by archives from the decades of exhibits made by the remarkable succession of gallery directors during the UCI art department’s shows. On view were pamphlets and photographs in dozens of vitrines, as well as a great example of Kauffman’s work:
In Europe, our colleagues and friends at Sprüth Magers helped to arrange Kauffman’s participation in a group show at the Kunsthaus Bielefeld, Germany, All Light: Light and Space Yesterday and Today, November 15, 2025–March 1, 2026. Their excellent presentation included two rarely seen Kauffman works from the German collection of the Schauwerk Sindelfingen.
Research:
The most significant milestone for the Kauffman Estate came when the research was presented to the community of scholars at the Catalogue Raisonné Scholars Association, back on March 13, 2025. Craig Kauffman emerged as a leader in the 1950s Los Angeles art world, and later became known internationally. Stephanie Barron, senior curator of modern art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, deemed Kauffman “a seminal figure in the evolution of the L.A. art scene” whose “distinctive, luminous wall relief sculptures helped to define an era in our art history.”
Rather than producing a printed version, the estate has made the catalogue available to scholars, students and the general public as a free resource. The digital publication allows continual revision and additions. This is the current state of many such publications, including those of major American artists such as Roy Lichtenstein: A Catalogue Raisonné, The Sam Francis Online Catalogue Raisonné Project, and The Rauschenberg Foundation’s ongoing project.
The Estate of Craig Kauffman will continue to support a broad range of scholarly and curatorial activities, including participating in institutional exhibitions, and developing gallery exhibitions in partnership with the worldwide representatives, Sprüth Magers.
Acquisitions:
Recently, there have been acquisitions on the private marketplace and in public auctions. The number of works that the catalogue raisonné is tracking has risen in accordance. Craig Kauffman’s works are in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Tate Modern, the Chicago Art Institute, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum, the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark, and a total of 60 (yes, sixty) public collections and institutions throughout the world, according to the most recent count.
In the winter 2025 edition of Hammer News, it was announced that Craig Kauffman’s Untitled, 1962 was gifted to the Hammer Contemporary Collection by Barry and Julie Smooke. Here’s the wonderful work, from the pivotal 1962 collaged and painted Frederick’s of Hollywood series:
On their expanded website, Sprueth Magers has posted three past exhibits for Craig Kauffman, including the most recent one, Craig Kauffman: Constructed Paintings 1973–1976, Sprüth Magers, London. Also shown is the exhibit in their Berlin space in 2016, and another in their London branch in 2017. Sprueth Magers has presented highly researched exhibits which re-contextualize Kauffman's work.
The Estate of Craig Kauffman is pleased to announce the online publication of a completely updated and expanded bibliography. Compiled by the Craig Kauffman Catalogue Raisonné project, which seeks to research and document artworks by Craig Kauffman, this comprehensive online resource is now available to writers, curators, researchers, and scholars. To access this resource, go to: https://craigkauffman.com/publications/index.html