Rupert Deese finds inspiration for his abstract paintings, woodcuts and etchings in natural habitats. His spare and meticulous work often reflects the shapes and movement of what he observes in nature, such as the mountains and rivers of California’s Sierra Nevada mountains, the study of which led him to create the rhythms and colors for many of his paintings. Deese’s compositions are both minimal and organic, reflecting a personal experience with nature rather than a literal interpretation of it. His work has been shown at the Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art in Connecticut, the Nevada Museum of Art in Reno, and the New York State Museum in Albany, and in many solo exhibitions at Nancy Hoffman Gallery, NYC. Rupert Deese has a long history with Manneken Press’ Master Printer Jonathan Higgins, collaborating on print projects since 1997, and Manneken Press has been publishing Deese’s editions since 2000. Our most recent project with Rupert Deese is “Rivers & Mountains“, a series of painted paper multiples published in 2019.
Rupert Deese was born in Upland, CA in 1952. He earned his BFA in 1974 and MFA in 1976 from University of California at Santa Barbara. Deese was Artist-In-Residence at the Chinati Foundation, Marfa, TX in 1994. He lives and works in Bronx, NY.
His work is included in many public and private collections, including:
Dow Jones, NJ
Menil Collection, Houston, TX
The Metropolitan Museum, New York, NY
Neiman Marcus, Dallas, TX
Prudential, New Jersey
Reader’s Digest Association, Pleasantville, NY
U.S. Department of State, Washington, DC