David Bates

Born in Dallas, Texas in 1952, David Bates studied at Southern Methodist University, earning a BFA in 1975 and an MFA in 1978. In 1976, he participated in the independent study program at the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Bates’ paintings, sculpture, and works on paper explore his deep affinity for the South, its people, and the physical and cultural landscape, especially the Grassy Lakes region of western Arkansas and the Texas Gulf Coast. In his work, he blends the influence of European and American modernists with his lifelong love of folk art.

In 2005, Bates turned his attention to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, depicting the destruction of New Orleans and the effect of the storm on the city’s people. This body of work was most recently on exhibition in David Bates: The Katrina Paintings at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, MO, and the Knoxville Museum of Art, Knoxville, TN.

Bates’s work has been exhibited in numerous solo exhibitions, and he has been included in countless group exhibitions, most notably the 1987 Whitney Museum of American Art Biennial. His art is also included in the permanent collections of several galleries and museums, and has been the focus of a number of important publications. In 2007, the Museum of Modern Art, Fort Worth, TX, in association with Scala Publishers, Italy, produced a monograph on the artist’s 30-year career.

David Bates continues to live and work in Dallas.