biography

David Salle, born 1952 in Norman, Oklahoma, is an American painter, graphic artist and set designer. He studied with the conceptual artist John Baldessari at the California Institute of Arts in the early 1970s and initially worked with the medium of photography. Later he turned to the medium of video. In the mid-1970s Salle created a series of large-format paintings, usually composed as diptychs or triptychs. The motifs of these conceptually conceived paintings originate from everyday life, art history, pornography and dance theatre. In doing so, Salle combines templates of different themes in different styles to form an overall picture. As the artist repeatedly emphasized, the motifs of his pictures stand on their own and do not result in an overarching context in terms of content.

In the 1980s he discovered for himself the "transparent" pictures that Francis Picabia created in the 1930s. However, Salle also borrowed from Pop Art and oriented himself towards artists like Robert Rauschenberg or James Rosenquist. In the 90s, his color palette brightened, and the motifs recall the 50s in the USA. Salle lives and works in New York.

 

His works have been shown at various institutions such as The Whitney Museum of American Art (New York), The Stedelijk Museum (Amsterdam), The Museum of Contemporary Art (Los Angeles), The Castello di Rivoli (Turin) and The Guggenheim Museum (Bilbao).

 

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS  

2024

David Salle, Works on Paper, Edward Hopper House & Study Center, Nyack

 

2021

David Salle, The Brant Foundation, Greenwich

 

2017

David Salle. Ham and Cheese and Other Paintings, Skarstedt Gallery, New York

David Salle. New Paintings, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris

 

2016

David Salle. Inspired by True-Life Events, CAC Malaga, Malaga

 

2015

Debris, Dallas Contemporary, Dallas

 

2013

David Salle/Francis Picabia, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris

Tapestries/Battles/Allegories, Lever House Art Collection, New York

 

2012

David Salle, Opera House, Lincoln Center, New York

 

2007

David Salle. New Works, Galerie Thaddeaus Ropac, Salzburg

 

2004

David Salle, Galerie Thaddeaus Ropac, Paris

 

2003

David Salle, Mary Boone Gallery, New York

 

2001

David Salle, Gagosian Gallery, New York

 

2000

David Salle, Museo de Arte Contemporaneo de Monterrey, Monterrey

 

1999

David Salle, Gagosian Gallery, New York

Retrospective, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam

David Salle, Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig, Vienna

David Salle, Museo d’Arte Contemporanea Castello di Rivoli, Turin

David Salle, Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao

 

1997

David Salle, Gagosian Gallery, Beverly Hills

 

1996

David Salle, Galerie Thaddeaus Ropac, Paris

 

1995

David Salle, Galerie Bruno Bischofberger, Zurich

David Salle, Gagosian Gallery, New York

 

1994

David Salle, Gagosian Gallery, New York

David Salle, Mary Boone Gallery, New York

 

1993

David Salle, Newport Harbor Art Museum, Newport Beach

 

1992

David Salle, Galerie Daniel Templon, Paris

David Salle, Gagosian Gallery, New York

David Salle, Haags Gemeentemuseum, The Hague

 

1991

David Salle, Gagosian Gallery, New York

David Salle, Galerie Bruno Bischofberger, Zurich

 

1989

David Salle, Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen München, Munich

David Salle, The Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Tel Aviv

 

1988

David Salle, Castelli Gallery, New York

David Salle, The Menil Collection, Houston

David Salle, Fundacion Caja de Pensiones, Madrid

David Salle, Staatsgalerie Moderne Kunst, Munich

David Salle, The Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Tel Aviv

David Salle, Galerie Bruno Bischofberger, Zurich

 

1987

David Salle, Mary Boone Gallery, New York

David Salle, Galerie Bruno Bischofberger, Zurich

 

1986

David Salle, Leo Castelli Gallery, New York

David Salle, Castelli Graphics, New York

David Salle, Museum am Ostwall, Dortmund

David Salle, Aarhus Kunstmuseum, Aarhus

David Salle, The Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston

David Salle, Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania

David Salle, The Whitney Museum of American Art, New York

David Salle, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles

David Salle, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago

David Salle, Galerie Bruno Bischofberger, Zurich

 

1985

David Salle, Galerie Daniel Templon, Paris

David Salle, Mary Boone Gallery, New York

 

1984

David Salle, Leo Castelli Gallery, New York

David Salle, Galerie Bruno Bischofberger, Zurich

 

1983

David Salle, Mary Boone Gallery, New York

David Salle, Museum Boymans-van Beuningen, Rotterdam

David Salle, Gagosian Gallery, Los Angeles

 

1982

David Salle, Mary Boone Gallery, New York

David Salle, Leo Castelli Gallery, New York

David Salle, Galerie Bruno Bischofberger, Zurich

 

1981

David Salle, Mary Boone Gallery, New York

David Salle, Gagosian Gallery, Los Angeles

 

1980

David Salle, Galerie Bruno Bischofberger, Zurich