Morgan Lehman Gallery proudly presents Only Notes that Count, a solo exhibition of monumental new paintings by Tim Bavington that refines his aesthetic vision to its essence.
Since the 1990s, Bavington has created immersive, music-based paintings that fill the canvas edge to edge with vibrant color. In Only Notes that Count, he hones his visual language, focusing solely on the root notes of musical compositions. While Bavington’s process remains consistent—translating music samples into visual form—this new direction embraces restraint, amplifying the Zen-like sensibility that has always underpinned his work but is often overtaken by the intensity of full-spectrum color.
Bavington’s work is deeply rooted in West Coast abstraction, building upon the legacies of the California Hard-Edge and Light and Space movements, as well as the integration of Eastern philosophy into 20th-century American art. Over his 25-year career, he has continuously explored the intersection of sound and vision, using his synesthetic approach to create paintings that pulse with rhythm and energy. This latest series furthers that exploration, distilling music to its most essential notes and opening space for color, contemplation, and ultimate clarity.
Tim Bavington (b. 1966, England) received his BFA from ArtCenter College of Design (CA) before making the permanent move to Las Vegas, where he completed his MFA at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (NV). His work is included in the public collections of the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation (CA), Crocker Art Museum (CA), Honolulu Museum of Art (HI), Albright-Knox Art Gallery (NY), Creative Artists Agency (CA), Joslyn Art Museum (NE), Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (CA), Portland Art Museum (OR), United Talent Agency (CA), Vivendi Universal (CA), Palm Springs Art Museum (CA), Denver Art Museum (CO), The Museum of Modern Art (NY), Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art, Utah State University (UT), and the McNay Art Museum (TX). He has exhibited at LeeAhn Gallery (Daegu), Jack Shainman Gallery (NY), Galerie Jean-Luc & Takako Richard (Paris), Space Gallery (London), the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MA), Laguna Art Museum (CA), Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Buenos Aires, and the Texas Fine Arts Center (TX), among others worldwide. For the past fifteen years, Bavington has created public sculptures, recently completing his second USGSA Art-in-Architecture project on the U.S.-Mexico border. He is currently working on a memorial for victims of the October 1, 2017, mass shooting in Las Vegas (NV).