The Boca Raton Museum of Art will present Tobi Kahn: The Quest for Essence from Nov. 4 through April 4, 2027, featuring four decades of work by New York artist Tobi Kahn. The exhibition explores how Kahn combines abstraction, spirituality, and personal interpretation across paintings, sculptures, works on paper, and ritual objects.
Organized by the museum and curated by Dr. Ena Heller, the exhibition examines the balance between consistency and change throughout Kahn’s career. Two large-scale installations centered on sky and water anchor the presentation, encouraging visitors to slow down and reflect on their surroundings.
Khan’s work explores the connections between people, nature, and place. Although photographs often serve as the starting point for his paintings, he transforms those references into abstractions rather than straightforward representations of reality. His work also plays with the relationship between stillness and movement, inviting viewers to develop their own interpretations.
Spirituality is a recurring theme in Kahn’s work, influenced in part by his Jewish faith and its teachings and practices. However, his art extends beyond any single religious tradition, exploring broader ideas of community, healing, and the search for meaning.
One featured work, ZAHRYZ v.4, Tzedek Box (2021), offers a contemporary interpretation of Jewish ritual. The acrylic-on-wood piece provides a place to record and preserve righteous deeds, encouraging reflection on acts of kindness and the ways individuals can contribute ot the well-being of others.
The exhibition includes other ritual objects that Kahn has adapted or created to explore how people practice their beliefs in the modern world. Together, these works examine the human desire to find meaning, connection, and something sacred in everyday life.
Works Selected From the Artist’s Personal Collection
The exhibition features works from Kahn’s own collection, including pieces he chose to keep throughout his career. Many have remained in his Long Island City studio, where they continue to inform his creative process.
The selection offers insight into the ideas and artistic explorations that have shaped Kahn’s work over the past 40 years. Rather than prescribing a single interpretation, the exhibition encourages visitors to engage with the pieces through their own experiences and perspectives.
Through its combinations of paintings, sculptures, installations, and ritual objects, Tobi Kahn: The Quest for Essence invites visitors to consider how art can encourage reflection, foster connection, and offer opportunities for personal discovery.
This exhibit will be on view Nov. 4 through April 4, 2027, at the Boca Raton Museum of Art in Mizner Park.
Location: 501 Plaza Real, Boca Raton, FL 33432
Admission:
- Adults: $16
- Seniors ages 65 and older: $12
- Groups: $10
- Museum members: Free
- High school students under 18: Free
- Children under 15: Free
Museum hours:
- Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Thursday: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Monday and Tuesday: Closed
For more information, visit HERE.
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