Donald Sultan

Donald Sultan revolutionized the tradition of still-life painting and popularized its practice in the contemporary art world. Born in North Carolina, Sultan would initially pursue fine art through academia, graduating from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and the Art Institute of Chicago with his BFA and MFA. Shortly after, they would move to New York City where they are still creating.

Although Sultan is a self-proclaimed abstract artist, he is nonetheless credited with pioneering the 1970s New Image movement through his neo-impressionist art style. His oeuvre often features organic forms like flowers or fruits up against a heavy tar-black background. Sultan’s other calling card is the use of industrial materials like tar or linoleum, which star alongside his natural subject matter. Sultan’s works have found homes in top institutions including the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Tate, the Guggenheim, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York and San Francisco.