David Salle (*1952) is one of the leading postmodern painters of the last fifty years. A central figure of the Pictures Generation, Salle rose to international prominence in the 1980s as part of a generation of artists whose work critically examined the power of images in contemporary culture. His practice is grounded in juxtaposition, fusing together image clusters drawn from advertising, film, cartoons, graffiti, art history, and most extensively his own photographs, into compositions of layered visual tension. What distinguishes his work is the rhythmic precision of their arrangement, which transforms visual contrast into sensory and emotional resonance.
David Salle
My Frankenstein
February 24–April 18, 2026
Los Angeles
Monika Sprüth and Philomene Magers are pleased to present an exhibition of new paintings by David Salle at the Los Angeles gallery, the artist’s first solo exhibition in LA since 1997. Arguably the leading postmodern painter of the last forty-five years, Salle combines images from a variety of sources, all rooted in what the artist calls the “presentational mode.” His practice is grounded in the art of juxtaposition; his “style” is the integration of disparate, contrasting styles, all resolved into dynamic, highly malleable compositions. Salle’s image clusters are analogous to musical chords, in which notes, at precise intervals to one another, are struck at the same time, producing an emotional resonance.
