David Salle is known for his bold, large-scale paintings that weave together a rich tapestry of art historical and pop cultural imagery. His enigmatic compositions draw from an eclectic range of sources, including 19th-century academic painting, mid-20th-century advertising, graffiti, cartoons, and his own photography. Salle frequently juxtaposes contrasting styles, moods, and visual languages within a single canvas, creating layered works that both invite and resist narrative or psychological interpretation.His approach results in sophisticated visual pastiches—deadpan yet deeply considered reflections on contemporary culture and image consumption. Salle emerged as a key figure in the 1980s Neo-Expressionist movement, alongside artists like Julian Schnabel and Eric Fischl. At the same time, his critical engagement with mass media imagery aligns him with the Pictures Generation, whose ranks include Cindy Sherman, Barbara Kruger, and Richard Prince.Salle’s work has been widely exhibited and is held in major international collections, including those of the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Tate, the Stedelijk Museum, the Museo Reina Sofía, and the Albertina Museum. On the secondary market, his paintings regularly achieve six-figure sums, underscoring his continued relevance and influence in contemporary art.

David Salle

American

Main

Artist

Printer

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Paper Lanterns