The more art I see—and I think in 41 years in the art environment in New York I have seen quite a bit of art—enigma is that aspect of an artist’s work that holds me the longest and the thing that separates one artist from the rest. But enigma does not necessarily make you very appealing to curators…

Gordon Moore, “Jaw, 2013.” Oil, pumice and latex on canvas. 78 x 54 1/4 inches. © Gordon Moore. Courtesy of Betty Cuningham Gallery.

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In a sense, enigma is the dominate interest for me in art. The more art I see—and I think in 41 years in the art environment in New York I have seen quite a bit of art—enigma is that aspect of an artist’s work that holds me the longest and the thing that separates one artist from the rest. But enigma does not necessarily make you very appealing to curators or museum people who tend to think in terms of groups and movements in art. Making decisions in ones work to satisfy current, very often extremely temporal concerns, has never been an option for me. And since the art “context” now is so enormous and the field so crowded it seems to me that the only way to “locate” yourself as an artist is to pursue those discoveries within your own world that distinguish your work from the sea of art around you. If you do that, other artists, other minds will find you.

—Gordon Moore, New York City, January 2014

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