Douglas Gordon, football-driven video art in Beverly Hills
Published on 08/21/2026 at 13:29 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Douglas Gordon anchors his summer presence in Los Angeles with the exhibition Magic is sometimes very close to nothing at all at Gagosian Beverly Hills. As the gallery's announcement confirms, the show runs from July 16 to August 22, 2026, and centers on the double-screen film Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait.Gagosian exhibition text
Football, film and the Beverly Hills show
The Gagosian exhibition crystallizes Gordon's long engagement with cinema and sport by foregrounding Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait (2006), made with Philippe Parreno and soundtracked by Mogwai.Gagosian exhibition text Shot with seventeen cameras during a single match, the film follows Zinédine Zidane's movements even when the play happens elsewhere.
Wallpaper's Los Angeles exhibitions guide underscores how Magic is sometimes very close to nothing at all lands at Gagosian Beverly Hills just as the FIFA World Cup atmosphere fades, positioning Gordon as a 'lifelong football fan' translating stadium energy into gallery space.Wallpaper Los Angeles art guide Neon and vinyl text pieces accompany the film, tightening the show's focus on language, spectacle and perception.
The summer window in Los Angeles
With dates locked from July 16 to August 22, 2026, the Beverly Hills presentation falls squarely into Los Angeles's peak summer gallery calendar, sharing space with high-profile projects at Hauser & Wirth, David Zwirner and Lisson, as listed in the same Wallpaper overview.Wallpaper Los Angeles art guide For collectors, Gordon's show offers a rare chance to experience a major moving-image work in a focused, single-artist setting.
Gagosian emphasizes that Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait exists in seventeen different versions, many held in institutions such as the National Galleries of Scotland in Edinburgh and the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa.Gagosian exhibition text The Beverly Hills installation thus acts as a node in a broader network of museum display and film festival screenings.
All news and background on Douglas Gordon
For further reporting on Douglas Gordon's exhibitions, moving-image works and institutional projects, the AD HOC NEWS archive offers curated coverage and context.
The work core and moving-image practice
Gordon, born in Glasgow in 1966, is known for slowing down, repeating and reframing existing films to probe memory, perception and time, as seen in landmarks like 24 Hour Psycho (1993). His practice spans video installation, photography, text works and sculpture.
The long-running installation Pretty much every film and video from about 1992 until now, documented on his studio site, functions as an encyclopedic archive of his moving-image production, organized across more than one hundred monitors and beer crates.Douglas Gordon studio page In Los Angeles, the Zidane project condenses that interest in repetition and duration into a single, high-intensity portrait of a football match.
Where Douglas Gordon stands now
Douglas Gordon's Magic is sometimes very close to nothing at all remains on view at Gagosian Beverly Hills through August 22, 2026, aligning his football-inflected video art with the city's dense summer exhibition landscape.
Douglas Gordon at a glance
- Artist: Douglas Gordon
- Medium / Genre: Video art, installation and conceptual text works
- Born: 1966, Glasgow, United Kingdom
- Place(s) of practice: Studio practice with strong ties to Scotland and international institutions
- Active since: Early 1990s, with breakthrough works in 1993
- Key work groups: 24 Hour Psycho, Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait, Pretty much every film and video from about 1992 until now, Black Burns
- Current/last exhibition: Magic is sometimes very close to nothing at all, Gagosian Beverly Hills, July 16–August 22, 2026
- Major collections: National Galleries of Scotland (Edinburgh), National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa), Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (New York)
- Awards: Turner Prize, 1996
- Next date: August 22, 2026, closing of Magic is sometimes very close to nothing at all at Gagosian Beverly Hills
Frequently asked questions about Douglas Gordon
Where is Douglas Gordon currently on view in Los Angeles?
Douglas Gordon's exhibition Magic is sometimes very close to nothing at all is on view at Gagosian Beverly Hills from July 16 to August 22, 2026, centering on the film Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait.Gagosian exhibition text
What is the focus of the show Magic is sometimes very close to nothing at all?
The exhibition focuses on Gordon's collaboration Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait, a double-screen film following Zinédine Zidane through a single match, accompanied by neon and text works that extend his exploration of time and spectatorship.Gagosian exhibition text
How does Douglas Gordon link football culture and contemporary art in this project?
By isolating Zidane's movements across a full game and mixing live sound, commentary and Mogwai's score, Gordon translates football's collective intensity into an intimate video portrait, which Wallpaper highlights as a key Los Angeles show amid World Cup-related programming.Wallpaper Los Angeles art guide
This article was produced with a.i. support and editorially reviewed. All statements without guarantee; auction results, exhibition dates and awards may change at short notice.
