Biography

Born: 1945, Oak Park, Illinois

Education: Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, CA

Solo Exhibitions:

2012
"The Big Sur: Paintings by David Ligare,"
Chris Windfield Gallery, Carmel, CA

Hirschl & Adler Gallery, New York, NY
2010
“REDUX” Plus One Gallery, London, UK
2009
“Primary Structures”Hartnell College Gallery, Salinas, CA
2008
“A Sense of Place: An Homage to Robinson Jeffers”
Winfield Gallery, Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
2007
Hackett Freedman Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2006
“Ritual Offerings” Koplin Del Rio Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2005
“Offerings: A New History” Plus One Gallery, London, UK (catalog)
2003
“Sea Paintings” Koplin Del Rio Gallery, Los Angeles, CA (also 2000, 98, 94, 92, 88, 86, 85, 83)
2002
“Objects of Intention: Still Life Paintings” Hackett-Freedman gallery, San Francisco, CA (also 99, 97)

“Viewpoint: The Pastures of Heaven” The National Steinbeck Center, Salinas, CA
1998
“The Classical Impulse,” Frye Art Museum, Seattle, WA

“L'eta dell'Oro,” Il Polittico, Rome, Italy
1996
“Ponte Vecchio/Torre Nova, A Project by David Ligare,
“ The Prince of Wales' Institute of Architecture, London, UK

"Landscape and Language: Paintings by David Ligare,” Monterey Museum of Art, Monterey, CA
1995
“Still Lifes,” Stiebel Modern, New York, NY (also 1993)

"Stages for Contemplation,” Fresno Museum, Fresno, CA
1990
Robert Schoelkopf Gallery, New York, NY (also 1985)
1984
University Art Museum, University of California, Santa Barbara,
1983
Hall Galleries, Dallas, Texas
1978
Andrew Crispo Gallery, New York, NY (also 1973)

Selected Group Exhibitions

2012
"Sublime: Nature, Science and Beauty in Contemporary Art," Koplin Del Rio Gallery, Culver City, CA
2010
"Kink: The Seduction of Art," Koplin Del Rio Gallery,
Culver City, CA

"Wine and Spirit: Rituals,Remedies and Revelry," Mount Holyoke College Museum of Art, S. Hadley, MA

"Tomorrow's Legacies," Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA

"Real & HyperReal," San Jose Museum of Art, San Jose, CA

"Take Five," Hirschl & Adler Modern, New York, NY

"REAL: Realism in Diverse Media," Imago Galleries,
Palm Desert, CA

"In Common," Pulliam Gallery, Portland, OR
2009
"American Concepts and Global Visions/Selections from the AT&T Collection," McNay Museum, San Antonio, TX
2008

"Per Amore: La raccolta Caggiano Palazzo Incontro,"

Rome, Italy

2007
“Dreamland: American Explorations into Surrealism," Sullivan Goss Gallery, Santa Barbara, CA
2006

“The Classical Spirit" Plus One Gallery, London, UK

"New Old Masters" Curated by Donald Kuspit (catalog) The National Museum of Gdansk, Poland "Beyond Likeness: Self Portraits by California Artists" The Triton Museum,
Santa Clara, CA

 

"Intimate landscapes" Winfield Gallery, Carmel and Sesnon Gallery, University of California, Santa Cruz

"The 'S" Word: Spirituality in Contemporary Art" The Judson Gallery of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA

2005
“To Be Or Not To Be: Four Hundred Years of Vanitas Painting” Flint Institute of Arts, Flint, MI (catalog) "Quindici Anni: dalla nascita della Galleria Il Polittico di Roma” Scuderie Aldobrandini per l'arte, Frascati, Italy (catalog)
2002
“Artists of the Ideal: Nuovo Classicismo” Galleria d’Arte Moderna, Verona, Italy (catalog)
2000
“Drawings V, ” Koplin Gallery, Los Angeles, CA

“A Noble Tradition Revisited: The Contemporary American Still Life” Spanierman Gallery, New York, NY (Catalog)
1999
“Green Woods & Crystal Waters: The American Landscape Tradition,” The Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa, OK (Traveling, Catalog)
1998

“Re-presenting Representation IV,” Arnot Art Museum,
Elmira, NY

 

"Gold Rush to Pop: 200 Years of California Art," Orange County Museum of Art, Newport Beach, CA (catalog)


"A Feast for the Eye: Food in Art," M.H. De Young Memorial Museum, San Francisco, CA


"Contempo-Italianate: Contemporary Artists Reflect on Italy," Laband Art Gallery, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles,

1997

“10th Anniversary Exhibition," Hackett-Freedman Gallery,

San Francisco, CA


“Re-presenting Representation III,” Arnot Art Museum, Elmira, NY "Back into the Future," The Kitchen, New York, NY


"Dramatic Realism: The New Baraoque," Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art, Loretto, PA

1996

“Classicism in the 20th Century," Lizan-Tops Gallery,

East Hampton, NY

"Still Lifes," Contemporary Realist Gallery, San Francisco, CA

1995
“Landscape: The Continuum," Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
1994

“Parallax Views," Contemporary Realist Gallery,

San Francisco, CA


"Slice of Life: Contemporary Still Lifes," Riverside Art Museum, Riverside, CA

1993
“Still Life," Gerald Peters Gallery, Santa Fe, NM (Catalog)
1992
“American Realism & Figurative Art 1955 - 1990," (traveling museum exhibition in Japan, (catalog)
1991
“Drawings," Koplin Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
1990
“Architecturally Inspired," Long & Ryle Gallery, London, England

"Regarding Art: Art Works About Art," Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan, WI
1988
“Life Stories," Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
1987

“Modern Myths," Boise Art Gallery, Boise, ID, (traveling exhibition, catalog)


"The Artist and the Myth," Monterey Peninsula Museum of Art, Monterey, CA

 

"Parola/Italia," Appollodoro, Rome, Italy (catalog)

"Contemporary Humanism," Art Gallery, California State University, Fullerton, CA (catalog)

1986

“Drawing: A Classical Continuum," Los Angeles Municipal Gallery, Los Angles, CA


"Uncovering the Past: Tribute & Parody," Long Beach Museum of Art, Long Beach, CA


"Annual Purchase Exhibition," American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, New York, NY

1985

“The Classical Tradition in Recent Painting and Sculpture,” Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art, Ridgefield, CT (catalog)

 

“Beyond Antiquity: Classical References in Contemporary Art," DeCordova and Dana Museum of Art, Lincoln, MA (catalog)

 

“American Realism: Twentieth Century Drawings and Watercolors," San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, CA (catalog)

1984
"Contemporary Classicism," California State University, Fullerton, CA (catalog)
1983
"A Heritage Renewed: Representational Drawing Today," University Art Museum, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA (catalog)

"West Coast Realism," Laguna Beach Art Museum, Laguna Beach, CA, (traveling exhibition, catalog)
1982
"Modern American Painting," National Pinokothiki, Athens, Greece (organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX, catalog)

Selected Collections:

The Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY
The Wadsworth Athenaeum, Hartford, CN
Gabinetto Disegni e Stampe degli Uffizi (The Department of Drawings and Prints of the Uffizi), Florence, Italy
M.H. De young Memorial Museum, San Francisco, CA
The Frye Art Museum, Seattle, WA
The Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara, CA
The Monterey Museum of Art, Monterey, CA
The San Jose Museum of Art, San Jose, CA
The Spencer Museum of Art, University of Kansas
The Museum of Art & Archeology, University of Missouri at Columbia
Exxon-Mobil Corporation, Fairfax, VA
The Arco Corporation
Knight-Ridder, San Jose, CA
The Security Pacific Collection
The Hughes Corporation
Pacific Telesis