Acclaimed mixed media artist David Saunders has lived a life in the arts. Born in NYC in 1954, he first learned to draw from his father Norman Saunders (1907-1989) the legendary pulp illustrator. While still a teenager, he was a studio assistant to Joseph Cornell (1903-1972). David graduated from Music & Art High School in 1971 and then received a BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute in 1975. He returned to NYC and had his first solo show at The Artificial Gallery in NYC in 1977. His first museum show was at The New Museum in 1979. He showed with Grace Borgenicht Gallery for fifteen years and then with Fischbach Gallery for another ten years.
Rather than limiting his creativity to a single medium, Saunders has worked as a sculptor, painter, printmaker, and a filmmaker. His work can be found in many public collections including the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Hirshhorn Museum.
Saunders juxtaposes academic realism, cartoon line drawings, and abstract colorfield painting in his work to create arresting images that resonate with multiple layers of meaning. Playful, yet powerfully sincere, his paintings of everyday objects invite the viewer to consider their timeless poetic associations.
Work Experience
2010 Visiting Artist, SCAD (Savannah College of Art & Design), GA
1998 Visiting Artist Teacher, Yale School of Art, Norfolk, CT
1994 Visiting Lecturer, Kotobuki Town Art, Tokyo, Japan
1991-1992 Assistant Professor, Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH
1990 Visiting Artist, Anderson Ranch, Snowmass, CO
1989 Visiting Artist Teacher, Yale School of Art, CT
1985 Adjunct Assistant Professor, MSU, Bozeman, MT
1972 Art Teacher, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Education Dept., NY
1971 Assistant Art Teacher, Brooklyn Museum of Art, Education Dept., NY
Education
1971-1975 Kansas City Art Institute, MO
Awards
1987 Award For Excellence In Design, Art Commission of NYC, NY
Select Public Collections
Museum of Modern Art, NY
Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY
The Brooklyn Museum of Art, NY
The New Museum, NY
The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, DC
Neuberger Museum, NY
Cincinnati Art Museum, OH
The Port Authority of NY and NJ
The NYC Parks Dept., NY
The NYC Fire Dept., NY
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, NY
Columbia Museum of Art, SC
AMTRACK, Penn Station, NY
Addison Gallery of Art, MA
Fine Arts Museum of the South, AL
J.B. Speed Museum, KY
Allen Art Museum, OH
Smithsonian Institution, DC
Eli Broad Museum, CA
Johnson Museum of Art, NY
The Veterans Administration, MS
Japan National Rail, Tokyo, Japan
American Telephone and Telegraph, IL
The Prudential Corporation, NY
Progressive Corporation, OH
Chase Manhattan Bank, NY
Select One Person Exhibitions
2007: Fischbach Gallery New York, NY2002: Fischbach Gallery New York, NY
2000: Fischbach Gallery New York, NY
1999: Secrist Gallery Chicago, IL
1997: Cite Internationale des Arts Paris, FR
1996: Gallery A Chicago, IL
1995: Grace Borgenicht Gallery New York, NY
1994: Gallery A Chicago, IL
1994: The Free Library Westhampton, NY
1992: Grace Borgenicht Gallery New York, NY
1990: Center for Contemporary Art Chicago, IL
1990: Gallery Nadeau Philadelphia, PA
1990: Grace Borgenicht Gallery New York, NY
1989: Center for Contemporary Art Chicago, IL
1988: Locus Gallery St Louis, MO
1987: Grace Borgenicht Gallery New York, NY
1986: Feature Gallery Chicago, IL
1986: Ben Mangel Gallery Philadelphia, PA
1985: Grace Borgenicht Gallery New York, NY
1985: Galeria Clave Guadalajara, MX
1984: The Nelson Atkins Museum Kansas City, MO
1984: The Cleveland Center for Contemporary Art Cleveland, OH
1984: The Crosby Kemper Gallery Kansas City, MO
1983: Grace Borgenicht Gallery New York, NY
1983: The Fine Arts Museum of the South Mobile, AL
1979: The New Museum of Contemporary Art New York, NY
1976: The Artificial Gallery New York, NY
Select Group Exhibitions
2026: Summer's Here! Grenning Gallery Sag Harbor, NY2003: Face of Courage Gallery 323 New York, NY
2003: Contemporary Realism G.E. Headquarters Fairfield, CT
2003: Chicago Art Fair Carrie Secrist Gallery Chicago, IL
2002: The Moving Still-life Fischbach Gallery New York, NY
2002: Contemporary Realism - #5 Doran Gallery Tulsa, OK
2002: Chicago Art Fair Carrie Secrist Gallery Chicago, IL
2001: $2001 Fischbach Gallery New York, NY
2001: The Gun Show, Ron Cohen Gallery Chicago, IL
2001: Believe Your Eyes Fitchburg Art Museum Fitchburg, MA
2001: Drawing For Works On Paper John Elder Gallery New York, NY
2001: The Big Bang Fischbach Gallery New York, NY
2001: Chicago Art Fair Carrie Secrist Gallery Chicago, IL
2000: Gone Fishing Fischbach Gallery New York, NY
2000: Summer Group Show Gallery A Chicago, IL
1999: Chicago Art Fair Gallery A Chicago, IL
1999: Collector's Edge II Center for the Visual Arts Summit, NJ
1999: Watershed Benefit John Elder Gallery New York, NY
1999: What's Hot! Foster Gallery Eau Claire, WI
1998: Collector's Edge Center for the Visual Arts Summit, NJ
1998: Gotham Group Charles Cowles Gallery New York, NY
1998: Ossabaw Island Benefit Savannah Arts Center Savannah, GA
1998: Chicago Art Fair Gallery A Chicago, IL
1997: Springtime Ben Mangel Gallery Philadelphia, PA
1997: Art '97 Chicago Gallery A Chicago, IL
1997: Homebodies National Bank Plaza Charlotte, NC
1996: Insight David Beitzel Gallery New York, NY
1996: Working Proof C. U. Art Galleries Boulder, CO
1995: Pulp Fiction Gallery A Chicago, IL
1995: Windows Kraushaar Gallery New York, NY
1995: Temporarily Possessed The New Museum New York, NY
1995: Artist's Handbags Center for Contemporary Art Cincinnati, OH
1995: Artist's Self Portraits 33 Art Center Gallery Baltimore, MD
1995: Art En Route Nassau County Museum Roslyn Harbor, NY
1995: Food Show Vered Gallery East Hampton, NY
1994: Fall Preview Show Grace Borgenicht Gallery New York, NY
1994: Art En Route Paine Weber Art Gallery New York, NY
1994: Artist Prints Mezzanine Gallery - Metropolitan Museum New York, NY
1994: Printer's Art, Visual Arts Center Makawao, HI
1994: Shark's Prints Honolulu Advertiser Gallery Honolulu, HI
1993: Summer Group Show Grace Borgenicht Gallery New York, NY
1993: Words in Print Quartet Editions Gallery New York, NY
1993: 25 Years: Retrospective Cleveland Center for Art Cleveland, OH
1993: Annual Benefit Anderson Ranch Arts Center Snowmass Village, CO
1993: Public Art in the Bronx Lehman College Art Gallery New York, NY
1993: O. I. A. Benefit Show Brooke Alexander Gallery New York, NY
1993: New York Print Fair 68th Street Armory New York, NY
1992: Off the Wall Cleveland Center for Art Cleveland, OH
1992: Faculty Show Oberlin College Art Department Oberlin, OH
1991: Source Material Center for Contemporary Art Chicago, IL
1991: Works On Paper 68th Street Armory New York, NY
1991: 40th Anniversary Grace Borgenicht Gallery New York, NY
1991: Food For Thought St. Paul Companies Gallery St. Paul, MN
1991: Artist's Birdhouses Vered Art Gallery East Hampton, NY
1990: East End Show Hampton Square Art Gallery Westhampton, NY
1990: Coalition for AIDS Christie Auction House New York, NY
1990: Artist's Christmas Midtown Payson Gallery New York, NY
1990: Inaugural Show Galerie Nadeau Philadelphia, PA
1990: Still Life Anthology Grace Borgenicht Gallery New York, NY
1990: 20th Anniversary Show Ben Mangel Gallery Philadelphia, PA
1990: 79th Annual Show Maier Museum of Art Lynchburg VA
1990: Group Show Center For Contemporary Art Chicago, IL
1990: Radiant Fruit Trabia-MacAfee Gallery New York, NY
1989: Climate 1989 Grace Borgenicht Gallery New York, NY
1989: Project Beauty Wichita State Art Gallery Wichita, KS
1989: 12th Annual Benefit The New Museum New York, NY
1989: Doves and Other Birds Galerie Oona Hartford, CT
1989: Words & Images Cleveland Center for Art Cleveland, OH
1989: Three Presses Associated American Artists New York, NY
1989: The 25th Birthday Show Cleveland Center for Art Cleveland, OH
1988: Landscapes Grace Borgenicht Gallery New York, NY
1988: Sculpture - Aspen '88 Aspen Art Museum Aspen, CO
1988: Nocturne Kemper Art Gallery Kansas City, MO
1988: Projects & Proposals Department of Cultural Affairs New York, NY
1988: Selected Prints Boulder Center for the Visual Arts Boulder, CO
1988: Group Sculpture Show Art Foundry Gallery Santa Fe, NM
1987: Group Show Ben Mangel Gallery Philadelphia, PA
1987: Vermillion Chuck Levitan Gallery New York, NY
1987: Art Against AIDS Grace Borgenicht Gallery New York, NY
1987: Art And The Law The West Collection CA, MN, MO, VA, WI
1987: Deca Dance The New Museum New York, NY
1987: Shark's Inc. Arvada center for the Arts Arvada, CO
1987: Percent for Art Projects City Gallery New York, NY
1987: Pastel Anthology Grace Borgenicht Gallery New York, NY
1987: Imprimatu Greenville Museum of Art Greenville, SC
1986: American Prints Today The Brooklyn Museum of Art New York, NY
1986: Landscape - Cityscape Contemporary Art Center Los Angeles, CA
1986: Seventh Heaven The New Museum New York, NY
1986: Landscape - Cityscape New York Academy of Art New York, NY
1986: Art Today The Indianapolis Museum of Art Indianapolis, IN
1986: Pastels Aleman Gallery Boston, MA
1986: Group Show Ben Mangel Gallery Philadelphia, PA
1986: Short Stories One Penn Plaza New York, NY
1986: Drawings After Photography Ind. Curators Inc. - NY, IL, OH, CO, MA
1985: 17 by 17 Sylvan Cole Gallery New York, NY
1985: Monumental Sculpture Boca Raton Museum of Art Boca Raton, FL
1985: Ten Years Independent Curators Inc. New York, NY
1985: Have a Heart Show Cincinnati Art Museum Cincinnati, OH
1985: Children's Aid Society Limelight Gallery New York, NY
1985: Pandora's Box The New Museum New York, NY
1985: 100 Years The Nelson Atkins Museum of Art Kansas City, MO
1985: Engagement Show Feature Gallery Chicago, IL
1984: The Circus Show Vanderwoude Tannenbaum Gallery New York, NY
1984: Chromatics Modern Art Consultants New York, NY
1984: Projects Rhona Hoffman Gallery Chicago, IL
1984: Annual Show Butler Institute of American Art Youngstown, OH
1984: Art On The Beach Show Oil & Steel Gallery New York, NY
1984: Painting / Photography Thorpe Art Center New York, NY
1984: The Portrait Show P.S. 1 Art Museum New York, NY
1983: Artist Toys Vanderwoude Tannenbaum Gallery New York, NY
1983: Personal Abstractions Barreto Fine Arts Gallery Boston, MA
1983: Hats Off! The New Museum New York, NY
1983: Intoxications Monique Knowlton Gallery New York, NY
1983: Art On the Beach, Battery Park Landfill New York, NY
1983: Portraits for the '80's, Protech McNeil Gallery New York, NY
1983: Language, Drama, Source and Vision, The New Museum New York, NY
1983: Still Life - a Thematic Survey Zim Lerner Gallery New York, NY
1982: Art On the Beach, Battery Park Landfill New York, NY
1982: Natural History Show Grace Borgenicht Gallery New York, NY
1982: Face It Ohio Art Foundation NY, OH
1981: Tableaux Wavehill Center Riverdale, NY
1981: Young Americans The Allen Art Museum Oberlin OH
1981: Intimacies & Portraits Glaberson Fine Arts New Brunswick, NJ
1981: Small Works NYU Washington Sq. East Gallery New York, NY
1975: Senior Art Show Kemper Art Gallery Kansas City, MO
1973: Group Show Walnut Street Gallery Kansas City, MO
1972: Small Environments Show Madison Art Center Madison, WI
