Born 1956 in Hartford, Connecticut, USA
Lives and works in New York
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Donald Baechler’s works are a declaration in favour of the hybrid. He juxtaposes the abstract and the figurative, the childishly simple and the conceptually sophisticated, graffiti and elements of different styles and genres within 20th century art. The spirit of appropriation lies at the heart of Baechler’s art. He does not hesitate to, in an honest and liberating way, undermine the fine art and highbrow culture status of his own works. Absurd paradoxes are stacked in a playful and naive way, and if anything threatens to become too logical or coherent or believable, it is immediately broken up, or painted over. Baechler’s grisaille paintings and collages consist of several layers of material - washcloths, canvas and pieces of lace, that together constitute a type of archaeological surface with a multilayered character. On the often abstract background, using thick, black brushstrokes, Baechler then paints figurative everyday motives such as flowers, birds, beach balls and trees with an affected clumsiness and a bogus naivety. In this way, his work develops an ‘aesthetic of simplicity’ and pays ironic tribute to a kind of primitivism, which is meant to cast doubt on, and overturn, what Baechler considers to be academic conventions and the affectations of Minimalist and Conceptual Art.


EDUCATION

1978-79
Staatliche Hochshule für bildende Kunste, Stadelshule, Frankfurt am Maine, Germany

1977-78
Cooper Union, New York

1974-76
Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore


SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2016
Lars Bohman Gallery, Stockholm, Sweden

2015
McClain Gallery, Houston, Texas, USA
Cheim & Read, New York, USA
Sargent’s Daughters, New York, USA
Studio d’Arte Raffaelli, Trento, Italy

2014
Galerie Forsblom, Helsinki, Finland
Arts + Leisure, New York, USA

2012
Art Pavilion, Zagreb, Croatia
Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris, France
Nosbaum & Reding, Luxembourg
Baldwin Gallery, Aspen, Colorado, USA

2011
Pace Prints Chelsea, New York, USA
Lars Bohman Gallery, Stockholm, Sweden

2010
Cheim & Read, New York, USA

2009
Shearburn Gallery, Santa Fe, USA
Galerie Forsblom, Helsinki, Finland
McClain Gallery, Houston, Texas, USA
Galleria In Arco, Torino, Italy
Galerie Thaddeus Ropac, Salzburg, Austria

2008
IBM Sculpture Garden, New York, USA
Galerie Alain Noirhomme, Brussels, Belgium
Galleri Lars Bohman, Stockholm, Sweden
Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Salzburg, Austria

2007
Galeria Leyendecker, Tenerife, Spain
Museum Moderner Kunst Kärnten MMKK, Klagenfurt, Austria
Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris, France
Museo Forte Strino, Vermiglio, Italy
Studio d’Arte Raffaelli, Trento, Italy
Baldwin Gallery, Aspen, Colorado, USA

2006
Galleri Lars Bohman, Stockholm, Sweden
Ciasa de ra Regoles, Museo Rimoldi, Italy
Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Salzburg, Germany
Cheim & Read Gallery, New York, USA

2005
Cheim & Read Gallery, New York, USA
Kunsthalle Merano, Italy
Galerie Bernd Klüser, Munich, Germany

2004
Galleria Cardi & CO, Milano, Italy
Galerie Thaddeus Ropac, Paris, France
Museum der Moderne, Salzburg, Austria

2003
Cheim & Read Gallery, New York, USA
Galleri Lars Bohman, Stockholm, Sweden
Hamiltons Gallery, London, England
Galleria Leyendecker, Tenerife, Spain

2002
Galleria Leyendecker, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
John Berggruen, San Francisco, USA
Principal & Auxilliary Functions: Some recent Pictures, Galleria di via Eugippo, San Marino, Italy
Alain Noirhomme, Brussels, Belgium

2001
Five Easy Pieces, Tony Shafrazi Gallery, New York, USA
Galerie Jan Wagner, Berlin, Germany
Oeuvres Récentes, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris, France
Some of My Subjects, Studio d Arte Raffaelli, Trento, Italy

2000
Donald Baechcler: New Paintings, Glenn Horowitz Bookseller, East Hampton New York, USA
Buildings and Other New Paintings, Baldwin Gallery, Aspen Colarado, USA
Recent Editions, Pace/Prints, New York, USA
Galleria Leyendecker, Tenerife, Spain

1999
Crowd Paintings, Cheim & Read, New York, USA
Pintings from Kunstahhle, Basel, Tony Shafrazi Gallery, New York, USA
New Work, Greenberg Van Doren, St. Louis MO, USA
Collage Pintings, Velge & Noirhomme, Brussels, Belgium
New Color Aquatintas, Baron/Boisanté, New York, USA
Recent Paintings, Bernd Klueser, Munich, Germany
Sculptures & Drawings, Galleri Lars Bohman, Stockholm, Sweden
New Paintings, Thomas Cohn, Sao Paolo, Brazil
Locks Gallery, Philadelphia, USA
Globes and More, Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris, France

1998
New Paintings, Kunsthalle Basel, Basel, Switzerland
Paintings in Italian Collections, Galleria Civica di Arte Contemporanea Trento, Trento, Italy
Galleri Lars Bohman, Stockholm, Sweden

1997
New Flowers, Harley Baldwin, Aspen, Colorado, USA
Flowers, Tony Shafrazi Gallery, New York, USA
Anders Tornberg Gallery, Lund, Sweden
Milleventi, Milan, Italy
Galeria Rafaelli, Trento, Italy

1996
Galleria Leyendecker, Tenerife, Spain

1995
Donald Baechler:York House Suite, Gulbenkian Foundation, Lisbon, Portugal
Paintings & Works on Paper, Galerie Kyoko Chirathvat, Bangkok, Thailand
Works on Paper, Baldwin Gallery, Aspen, Colorado, USA
Donald Baechler: Selected Early Paintings, Tony Shafrazi Gallery, New York, USA
Works on Paper, Paul Kasmin Gallery, New York, USA
Black Flowers, Galerie Bernd Kluser, Munich, Germany
Fisher Landau Center, Long Island City, New York with Saint Clair Cemin
Donald Baechler: Large Works on Paper 1984-1994, Baron/Boisante, New York, USA
Donald Baechler: Yankee Pieces, Milleventi, Turin, Italy
Donald Baechler: Neue Arbeiten, Galerie Ribbentrop, Eltville, Germany

1994
Galerie E+O Freidrich, Bern, Germany
Galerie Becherini, Florence, Italy
Donald Baechler:Prints Days of the Week 1994, Pace Prints, New York, USA
Donald Baechler:Drawings, Laura Carpenter Fine Art, Santa Fe, New Mexico
Donald Baechler: des Fleur, Galerie Thadacus Ropac, Paris, France
1993
Works on Paper, Galeria Gisela Captain, Cologne, Germany
Abstract Painting with Bird, Galleri Lars Bohman, Stockholm, Sweden
Works on paper, UMKC Art Gallery, Kansas City, Missori Paintings, USA
Works on Paper, Sperone Westwater Gallery, New York, USA

1992
Works on Paper, Loyola University, New Orleans, USA
Works on Paper, Galeria Pedro Oliviera, Porto, Portugal
Works on Paper, Gian Enzo Sperone, Rome, Italy


SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2011
Art Cologne 2011, Cologne, Germany

2010
Anonymous Gallery, New York, USA
Galeria Leyendecker, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Islas Canarias, Spain

2009
Villa Giulia - Centro di Ricerca Arte Attuale, Torino, Italy
Galerie Scheffel, Hamburg, Germany
7 Eleven Gallery, New York, USA

2008
Von der Heydt-Museum, Wuppertal, Germany
Galleria Il Cerchio, Milano, Italy
McClain Gallery, Houston, USA
Cheim & Read, New York, USA
William Shearburn Gallery, St. Louis, USA

2007
Maruani & Noirhomme Gallery, Knokke, Belgium
Tony Shafrazi Gallery, New York, USA
Cheim & Read, New York, USA
Crone Gallery, Berlin, Germany
Dinter Fine Arts, New York, USA
Allston Skirt Gallery, Boston, USA
Sammlung Essl Collection, Klosterneuburg, Austria
Plug, Sister, Los Angeles, USA

2006
Chelsea Art Museum, New York, USA
La Maison Rouge, Paris, France
Galerie Alain Noirhomme, Brussels, Belgium
Guild Hall, Southampton, New York, USA
National Academy, New York, USA
Cook Fine Art, New York, USA
Tony Shafrazi Gallery, New York, USA
Loyal Gallery, Stockholm, Sweden
Dinter Fine Art, New York, USA

2005
Fisher Landau Center for Art, New York, USA
General Store White Columns, New York, USA
Locks Gallery, Philadelphia, USA
Alona Kagan Galery, New York, USA
Sammlung Essl, Vienna, Austria
Dinter Fine Arts, New York, USA
Spiral Gaden, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Museum of Art, SUNY, New Paltz, New York
Glimpses of International Art in Vienna, Howord House, Seattle, USA
White Columns, New York, USA

2004
Sammlung Essl, Vienna, Austria
Museo Cantonale d’Arte, Lugano, Switzerland
Hampton Road Gallery, Southampton, New York, USA
Baldwin Gallery, Aspen, USA
Orlando Museum of Art, Orlando, USA
Fay Gold Gallery, Atlanta, USA
Cheim & Read, New York, USA
Albertina, Vienna, Austria
Galleria Cardi & Co, Milano, Italy

2003
Daniel Wienberg Gallery, Los Angeles, USA
Evergreen House, Baltimore, USA
Kunsthandel, Cologne, Germany

2002
New York Expression, Bergen Kommune, Norway
Galleria Cardi & Co, Milano, Italy
New York Painting & Sculpture, New York, USA
Glenn Horowitz Bookseller, Eashampton, New York, USA
Kunsthalle Basel, Basel, Switzerland

2001
MoCA, Miami, USA
Paco Imperial, Brazil
Maryland Institute Collage of Art, Baltimore, USA

2000
Galerie Simonne Stern, New Orleans, USA
Paul Kasmin Gallery, New York
Baron/Boisanté Editions, New York, USA
Tony Shafrazi Gallery, New York, USA
Matthew Marks Gallery, New York, USA
Pat Hearn Gallery, New York. USA

1999
Ernest Rubenstein Gallery, New York
DFN Gallery, New York, USA
Ascan Crone, Hamburg, Germany
Baron/Boisanté Editions, New York, USA

1998
David Bietzel Gallery, New York, USA
Paul Kasmin Gallery, New York, USA
Parrish Art Museum, New York, USA
Galerie Ropac, Salzburg, Austria & Paris, France
Galerie Bernd Klueser, Munich, Germany

1997
Bernd Klueser, Munich, Germany
The Andy Worhol Museum, Pittsburgh, USA
Switzerland Kunstraum Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
Fisher Landau Center, Long Island City, New York, USA
Baron/Boisanté Edtitions, New York, USA

1996
Baron/Boisanté Editions, New York, USA
Wanås Foundation, Wanås, Sweden
Baldwin Gallery, Aspen, USA
Tony Shafrazi Gallery, New York, USA
Paul Kasmin Gallery, New York, USA
Sperone Westwater Gallery, New York, USA
Curt Marcus Gallery, New York, USA
Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Salzburg, Austria

1995
Sperone Westwater Gallery, New York, USA
Bruce Museum, Greenwich, USA
Gagosian Gallery, New York, USA
Municipal Museum of Fine Arts, Tenerife, Spain
Sperone Westwater Gallery, New York, USA
Paul Kasmin Gallery, New York, USA
Galerie Max Hetzler, Berlin, Germany
Baron/Boisanté Editions, New York, USA
Kunsthalle Biefeld, Biefeld, Germany
Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, Paris, France

1994
Baron/Boisanté, New York, USA
ART Frankfurt, Schoenewald & Beuse, Krefeld, Germany
Offshore Gallery, New York, USA
Sperone Westwater Gallery, New York, USA
Paul Kasmin Gallery, New York, USA

1993
Galleri Anders Tornberg, Lund, Sweden
Tony Shafrazi Gallery, New York, USA
Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid, Spain
Sperone Westwater Gallery, New York, USA
Kunsthalle Basel, Basel, Switzerland
Galerie Ribbentrop, Eltville, Germany
Setagaya Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan
The Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, USA
Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris, France
Sammlund Goetz, Munich, Germany

1992
Perry Rubenstein Gallery, New York, USA
Paul Kasmin Gallery, New York, USA
Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France
Sperone Westwater Gallery, New York, USA
Bernd Klueser, Munich, Germany
Museum Ludwig, Cologne, Germany
Katonah Museum, New York, USA
L.A. County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, USA
The Institute for Contemporary art, Long Island City, New York, USA


PUBLIC COMMISSIONS

Brant Foundation, Greenwich, USA
Centre George Pompidou, Musée National d’Art Moderne, Paris, France
Chase Manhattan Bank, New York, USA
Deutsche Bank, New York, USA
Eli Broad Family Foundation, Los Angeles, USA
Fisher Landau Center, Long Island City, New York
Gateway Foundation, St. Louis, USA
Grafische Sammlung Albertina, Vienna
Guggenheim Museum, New York
Lehnbachhaus, Munich, Germany
Malmö Konsthall, Malmö, Sweden
Musée d’Art Moderne et Contemporain, Geneve, France
Musée Strassbourg, France
Museo d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Trento e Rovereto, Italy
Museu de Arte Moderna do Rio de Janiero, Brazil
Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, USA
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, USA
Museum Ludwig, Budapest, Hungary
Museum of Modern Art, New York
National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul, Korea
Newport Harbor Art Museum, Newport Beach, USA
New York Public Library, New York, USA
Orlando Museum of Art, Orlando, USA
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, USA
Revlon Collection, New York, USA
Sammlung Essl, Vienna, Austria
Sammlung Goetz, Munich, Germany
Sammlung Ludwig, Aachen, Germany
Sammlung Würth, Künzelsau, Germany
Sony Corporation, New York, USA
Springfield Art Museum, Missouri, USA
St. Louis Art Museum, Missouri, USA
Städtische Galerie Schloss Wolfsburg, Germany
Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, Holland
Stiftung Schaufler, Sindelfingen, Germany
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, USA
William Allen Memorial Museum, Oberlin College, USA