Rupert Deese

Rupert Deese

Rupert Deese (b. 1952, Upland, CA) is an American artist whose abstract paintings, woodcuts, and etchings draw inspiration from natural habitats. His spare, meticulous compositions often reflect the shapes, rhythms, and movements of the natural world—such as the mountains and rivers of California’s Sierra Nevada—resulting in works that are minimal, organic, and experiential rather than literal.

Deese earned his B.A. and M.F.A. from the University of California at Santa Barbara and was Artist-in-Residence at the Chinati Foundation in Marfa, TX. His work has been widely exhibited, including at the Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art (CT); American Academy of Sciences (NY); Arkansas Art Center (Little Rock); Art in Embassies Program, U.S. Department of State (South Korea); The Chinati Foundation (Marfa, TX); Crocker Art Gallery (Sacramento, CA); Heckscher Museum of Art (Huntington, NY); Reese Bullen Gallery, Humboldt State University (Arcata, CA); Kohler Arts Center (Sheboygan, WI); Loyola University (New Orleans, LA); Naples Museum of Art (FL); Nevada Museum of Art (Reno); New York State Museum (Albany); and University Art Museum, SUNY Binghamton; and in many solo exhibitions at Nancy Hoffman Gallery (NYC).

Deese’s work is included in major public collections, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art (NYC), The Menil Collection (Houston), and the Nevada Museum of Art (Reno). Deese has created more than 45 editions at Manneken Press, beginning in 2000 in collaboration with Master Printer Jonathan Higgins. Their most recent project, Rivers & Mountains (2019), is a series of painted paper multiples. He lives and works in New York City.