Daniel Colen (born 1979) is an American artist based in New York. His work consists of painted

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

s appropriating low-cultural ephemera, graffiti-inspired paintings of text executed in paint, and installations.

Early life and education

Born in 1979 and raised in

Leonia, New Jersey Leonia is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 9,304, an increase of 367 (+4.1%) from the 2010 United Sta ...

. His father, Sy Colen, a wood and clay sculptor, was a participant in the 2006 reality TV show '' Artstar''. Colen attended Solomon Schechter Day School, and was raised

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

. Colen graduated with a B.F.A. in Painting from the

Rhode Island School of Design The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD , pronounced "Riz-D") is a private art and design school in Providence, Rhode Island. The school was founded as a coeducational institution in 1877 by Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf, who sought to increase th ...

in 2001. After graduation he moved to the East Village in Manhattan, and by June 2006 he became a known artist.

Work

In his work, ''Secrets and Cymbals, Smoke and Scissors: My Friend Dash's Wall in the Future'' (2004), Colen built an exact replica of a section of poster, photo and flyer-covered wall from friend Dash Snow's apartment. Each piece of visual material was handmade and attached to a Styrofoam copy of the wall. In 2007, Dash Snow and Colen shredded phone books in Jeffrey Deitch's SoHo gallery for an installation called ''Nest'' or ''Hamster Nest''. He was described by ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' as a "bad boy of post-pop New York".

Personal life

Colen was close friends with artists Dash Snow and Ryan McGinley. When Snow died in 2009 of a heroin overdose, Colen was greatly impacted and said he was determined to end his own addiction.

Exhibitions

*''Potty Mouth, Potty War, Pot Roast, Pot is a Reality Kick'',

Gagosian Gallery The Gagosian Gallery is a modern and contemporary art gallery owned and directed by Larry Gagosian. The gallery exhibits some of the most well-known artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. As of 2024, Gagosian employs 300 people at 19 exhibiti ...

, New York, 2006 *''USA Today - new American Art from the Saatchi Collection'',

Royal Academy of Arts The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

, London *

Whitney Biennial The Whitney Biennial is a biennial exhibition of contemporary American art organized by the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City. The event began as an annual exhibition in 1932; the first biennial was held in 1973. It is considered ...

, New York, 2006 *''Fantastic Politics'', National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design, Oslo *''No Me'', Peres Projects, Berlin, 2006. Solo exhibition. *''Dan Colen – Works from the Astrup Fearnley Collection'', Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art, Oslo, Norway, 2018. Solo exhibition.

Collections

Colen's work is held in the following collections: * Saatchi Gallery *

Whitney Museum of American Art The Whitney Museum of American Art, known informally as "The Whitney", is a Modern art, modern and Contemporary art, contemporary American art museum located in the Meatpacking District, Manhattan, Meatpacking District and West Village neighbor ...

* Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art

References

External links

*
Dan Colen on ArtFacts.NetColen at Gagosian Gallery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Colen, Dan 1979 births Sculptors from New York (state) 21st-century American painters 21st-century American male artists 21st-century American sculptors American male sculptors Living people Artists from Leonia, New Jersey Rhode Island School of Design alumni 20th-century American sculptors 20th-century American painters American male painters 20th-century American male artists