Donald Baechler  (American, 1956) 

Donald Baechler (American, b.1956) is a celebrated and internationally recognized Contemporary artist. His work is usually rendered in a style that combines both innocence and sophistication. He was born in Hartford, CT, as the second child to Quaker parents. By the age of five, he had developed an interest for drawing and painting. His artistic talent was largely influenced by visits to the Wadsworth Antheneum Museum of Art in Hartford, CT, and by works by famous artists such as the Pop artist Andy Warhol (American, 1928–1987). Baechler received his formal education in Art at the College of Art, Maryland Institute in Baltimore, MD, from 1974 to 1977, and later at Cooper Union, New York, NY. In 1978, he enrolled in a two-year course at the Staatliche Hochschule für Bildende Künste in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

Baechler returned to the United States at a time when the Neo-Expressionist movement was gaining popularity among American artists. He became a major luminary of this movement along with other Neo-Expressionist artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat (American, 1960–1988). Baechler’s method involved the use of vivid, exuberant colors to create energetic images. He greatly contributed to the movement by incorporating Pop imagery, symbols, and commercial icons into his works. By the early 1980s, the artist had come of age as a Neo-Expressionist painter. Most of his worldly images are recorded on slides; this wide collection of compelling paintings and graphic works can be viewed at his studio in lower Manhattan. His work has been featured in group exhibitions such as “Notable Henchman” at the Kurnatowski Gallery in New York in 2011.

Some of Baechler’s recent solo exhibitions include the Donald Baechler: Painting and Sculpture display in 2012 at Fisher Landau Center for Art in Long Island City, NY, the Sculptures and Paintings exhibition at the McClain Gallery in Houston, TX, in 2011, and the Recent Works exhibition at the Studio d'Arte Raffaelli in Trento, Italy. His works can also be viewed at the Tony Shafrazi Gallery in New York. Baechler lives close to his studio in New York City.