Tony DeLap
Tony DeLap (b. 1927, Oakland, CA, d. 2019, Corona Del Mar, CA) has exhibited extensively since 1953. At its core, DeLap’s work explores how the interaction of geometric shapes can create dimensionality and movement on static planes. His work resides in the permanent collections of Tate Modern, London, UK; Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, NY; the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, CA; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA; and Musée cantonal des Beaux-Arts, Lausanne, Switzerland, among many others. He has been included in such landmark exhibitions as The Responsive Eye (1965: Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY), Primary Structures (1966: Jewish Museum, New York, NY), and American Sculpture of the Sixties (1967: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA). In 2018, the Laguna Museum of Art mounted a major retrospective of DeLap’s work dating from 1961 to present, curated by Peter Frank and accompanied by a fully illustrated publication. Parrasch Heijnen has held two major Tony DeLap exhibitions, including drawings and sculpture from the 1960s at Art Basel 2017. The Estate of Tony DeLap is represented by Parrasch Heijnen.
Select Works
Select Exhibitions
Select Press
2023
Proyen, Mark Van. “Minimalist Magician.” SquareCylinder, January, 2023.
2019
Rosseth, Andrew. “Tony DeLap, Maker of Inventive Abstract Art That Embraced Illusion and Magic, Is Dead at 91.” ARTnews, June, 2019.
Gelt, Jessica. “Tony DeLap, Pioneering West Coast figure in abstract art, dies at 91.” Los Angeles Times, June, 2019.
2018
Olivar, Amanda Quinn. “Interview with Tony DeLap.” Curator, February 4, 2018.
Michno, Christopher. Interview with Category Defying Artist, Tony DeLap. Riot Material., January 30, 2018.
Knightart, Christopher. “Best art of 2018: Jasper Johns, Renaissance nudes, ‘Made in L.A.’ and a sleeper hit at LACMA.” Los Angeles Times, 11 December 2018.
Chang, Richard. “Longtime O.C. artist Tony DeLap offers insight into his retrospective at Laguna Art Museum.” Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2018.
2016
Lemkin, Tyler. "Inside the Studio : Tony DeLap." Tyler Lemkin Contemporary. n.p., 3 Feb. 2016. web.
2015
Holmes, Jessica. "Tony DeLap: Painting Sculpture & Works on Paper 1965 - 2013." The Brooklyn Rail, May, 2015.
Katz, Anita. “DeLap paintings touched by magic.” The Examiner: San Francisco, February, 2015.
2014
Abatemarco, Michael. “Art world all-rounded: Stalward Tony DeLap defines categorization.” Santa Fe New Mexico, October, 2014.
2013
Frank, Peter. “APPRECIATION: Tony DeLap.” Art Ltd, November, 2013.
Chang, Richard. “Oceanside Museum presents Tony DeLap retrospective.” Orange County Register, April, 2013.
2011
Catalog,"Best Kept Secret: UC Irvine,1964 -71." Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach. October, 2011.
2009
Lab, Walter, “Tony DeLap, Modern Times”, Royal Projects, Indian Wells, March 2009. the Art Magazine, illus.
2007
Frank, Peter, “The Illusionist,” Tony DeLap at Patricia Faure. Art Ltd., November, 2007, illus.
Catalog, “Los Angeles 1955-1985.” Centre Pompidou, Paris, illus.
Schad, Ed. “Tony DeLap.” ARTslanT, 2007.
2006
Lawson, Thomas. “Los Angeles 1955-1985: The Birth of an Artistic Capital.” Centre Pompidou, Paris, September 2006.
2003
Humblet, Claudine, “La Nouvelle Abstraction Americaine 1950-1970”, illus. 2003 Skira, Italy.
2001
”Tony DeLap.” Sculpture, 1 April 2001.
Chattopadhyay, Collette. ”Tony Delap: Orange County Museum of Art.” Washington International Sculpture Center, 2001.
2000
Catalog, "Tony DeLap." Bruce Guenther, Orange County Museum of Art, CA 2000
”Tony Delap at the Orange County Museum of Art,” Artweek, December 2000.
Letran, Vivian. “ORANGE COUNTY CALENDAR: ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT, LEISURE; Delightful, Delovely; Delap Blends Magic, Art in Retrospective That Opens Saturday: Orange County Edition".” Los Angeles Times, 2000.
1999
Dubin, Zan. “The Trick to Minimalism: art with just four basic parts, magician Tony DeLap’s installation is part sculpture, part illusion: Orange County Edition.” Los Angeles Times, 1999.
1997
”Tony DeLap: Mark Morgan Gallery.” Washington International Sculpture Center, 1997.
1994
Catalog, "Tony DeLap the House of the Magician: An Installation of Reconstructed Works from 1967-1979.” Essays by Mike Magee, Peter Clothier and David Pagel. California State University at Fullerton, CA. Feb. l994. illus.
Curtis, Cathy. “O.C. ART / CATHY CURTIS A Friendly Deception Woodworking Meets Magic in Tony DeLap’s Exhibition at CSUF: Orange County edition.” Los Angeles Times, 1994.
Wilson, William. “ART REVIEW: DeLap: At Work in “House of the Magician.” Los Angeles Times, 19 February 1994.
1991
Catalog, "Finish Fetish: LA's Cool School." University of Southern California, 1991, illus.
1988
Catalog. "Tony DeLap and the Floating Lady. The Artist/Magician as Magician/Artist." Vari Studios, Arizona State Universty, Tempe, AZ, 1988. illus.
1983
Knight, Christopher. "L.A.'s Art Direction. Five Painters Help Shape the City's New Cultural Image." GQ Magazine, Aug. l983, p.136, illus.
1977
Catalog, “the 35th Biennial Exhibition of Contemporary Painting & Sculpture.” Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington DC. Feb. 1977, illus.
1976
Masheck, Joseph. "Tony DeLap's Shapely Paintings," Arts Magazine, April 1976, illus.
1973
Rose, Barbara, "Current Events." NY Magazine, p.71, Feb.1973
1970
Schjeldahl, Peter, the New York Times, Jan .15, 1970, p.27d
1967
Catalog,"Tony DeLap, the Last Five Years: 1963-1968.” Alan Soloman, Curator, UCIrvine, CA 1969
Catalog, "Pittsburgh International," Carnegie Institute, Oct. 1967. p.252
Catalog, "American Sculpture of the Sixties.” LA County Museum of Art, Apr. 1967.
1964
Coplans, John. “Circle of Styles." Art in America. June, 1964.