The late abstractionist and monochromist Anton Aubinov (1923-2001) left behind an estimated 1,080 works on canvas, along with several hundred drawings. The Aubinov Foundation was established with the mission of exhaustively cataloguing this body , as well as providing a cross-section of his written works—most of which have never been published—press materials, printed interviews, etc. We aim to add regularly to this website, the locus of our initial efforts, and invite you to visit regularly, as you might stroll past a gallery.
Catalogue numbering has proceeded as pieces have been photographed and measured. They are, on the whole, a terribly poor indicator of chronological order in the overall body of work.
The date given for a work is presented with as much certainty and detail as is available. Generally, works are listed by year, but there are some where specific months or even days are known. For earlier works in particular, less clear dates are presented as c. YYYY.
Measurements have been taken to a precision of two decimal places on each canvas. On irregular canvases, of which there were many, the measurement presented is at the widest point of each axis. Aubinov spent several tedious days each month assembling and stretching canvases of unique proportions.
Small spaces have been leased to the Foundation by both the Ruth Hall Gallery of Kansas City, Missouri, which posthumously represents the work of Anton Aubinov and was his last regular exhibition space, and the Beca Gallery of St. Louis. We have attempted to photograph works of similar dimensions against the same "scenes", in order to provide a more useful sense of scale, which may not otherwise be apparent.
There is no provenance listed alongside the works, an expressed wish of the artist.
The interplay of words and images, and how the mind transposes and translates the two, was an obsessive topic for Aubinov, who was also an amateur poet, as well as a top-notch diarist. While seldom published in his lifetime, his written works, neatly organized in file cabinets in his studio, have been thoroughly combed over, and combined with press materials and interviews to, wherever possible, give something of an author's account for each work.
The Aubinov Foundation & Trust was established in 2014 at the wishes of the artist. Additional funding for the efforts of the foundation have been provided by the Ruth Hall Gallery of Kansas City, the Greater Arts Council of Western British Columbia, the Louisville Center for the Arts & Humanities, the Beca Gallery of St. Louis, and several private donors.The foundation is headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri.
Joshua Rothes is the author of several brief works of fiction, including