David Salle (b. 1952, Norman, OK; lives and works in New York, NY), was born in 1952 and raised in Wichita, Kansas. Salle attended California Institute of Arts (CalArts) in Los Angeles, receiving a B.F.A. in 1973 and an M.A. in 1975. A member of the influential Pictures Generation, Salle combines popular, or commercial imagery with images made from direct observation and a range of art historical references to create a personal pictorial language. His work features a sophisticated and highly intuitive approach to composition, one that suggests new associations and relationships between familiar (or un-familiar) subjects. Salle’s multi-layered works do not rely on subject matter alone, however—his paintings pack an immediate formal impact and present multiple points of entry for the viewer. Built to draw the eye through and across the picture plane, they reward close looking and prolonged contemplation.
Solo exhibitions of Salle’s work have been organized at Times Square Arts, New York, NY (2024); Edward Hopper House Museum, Nyack, NY (2024); Lehmann Maupin, Seoul, Korea (2023); Gladstone Gallery, Brussels, Belgium (2022); the Brant Foundation, Greenwich, CT (2021); Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris, France (2020); Galeria Javier Lopez & Fer Frances, Madrid, Spain (2019); Centro de Arte Contemporáneo de Málaga (CAC Málaga), Málaga, Spain (2016); Dallas Contemporary, Dallas, TX (2015); Arts Club of Chicago, Chicago, IL (2014); Metropolitan Opera House, New York, NY (2012); Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Monterrey, Monterrey, Mexico (2000); Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung, Ludwig, Vienna, Austria (2000); Museo d’Arte Contemporanea Castello di Rivoli, Turin, Italy (2000); Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, the Netherlands (1999); and the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Bilbao, Spain (1999).
