Donald Moffett

Lot 010212 (the double hazard), oil on linen with wood panel support, concrete statuary, wood timbers, acrylic paint on burlap, gaffers tape, wire, steel I beam, hardware (69 × 87 × 57 inches)
Lot 122811 (the double extension), oil on linen with wood panel support, w/cast iron flanges, common black pipe, hardware (21 × 17 × 21 inches)

Donald Moffett (born January 20, 1955) is an American painter.

Personal life

Moffett was born in San Antonio, Texas, where he studied art and biology at Trinity University, earning a BA. He lives and works in New York City.

Moffett is a founding member of Gran Fury, the artistic arm of the AIDS activist group ACT UP. On May 20, 2011, Gran Fury received an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from Massachusetts College of Art and Design.

Moffett is represented by Marianne Boesky Gallery in New York, and Anthony Meier Fine Arts in San Francisco.

Work

As a painter, Moffett extends the traditional two-dimensional frame through non-traditional techniques such as prying open the canvas to paint the backside, perforating or suturing the painting's surface, or loading it with paint forced into extreme textures. At other times, he transposes paintings into screens by incorporating video projections onto the canvas.

The subject matter of his paintings have been described as being poetic, provocative, and at times humorous. His influence by classical painters, such as Goya and Manet, manifests in his blending of the subtle with the outlandish and structural experimentation, along with social critique. Moffett's artwork focuses on contemporary topics and universal issues of love, loss, alienation, and death.

Selected catalogues and publications

Exhibitions

Writings and interviews

Permanent collections

References

  1. 1 2 "Donald Moffett: On Our New York Watchlist", Archived 2011-10-26 at the Wayback Machine ArtSlant. Retrieved Dec. 14, 2012.
  2. ↑ Cotter, Holland (Oct. 15, 2010). “ACT UP New York.” The New York Times. Retrieved Dec. 14, 2012.
  3. ↑ Cotter, Holland (Nov. 18, 2010). Marlene McCarty: I’m Into You Now.” The New York Times. Retrieved Dec. 14, 2012.
  4. ↑ “Gran Fury Art Collective to be Honored with Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts,” Archived 2012-04-17 at the Wayback Machine Massachusetts College of Art and Design (press release), April 26, 2011. Retrieved Dec. 14, 2012.
  5. ↑ Donald Moffett Archived 2012-11-15 at the Wayback Machine, Marianne Boesky Gallery. Retrieved Dec. 14, 2012.
  6. ↑ Donald Moffett, Anthony Meier Fine Arts. Retrieved Dec. 14, 2012.
  7. ↑ Smith, Roberta (June 29, 2012). "Art Review: Like Watching Paint Thrive." The New York Times. Retrieved Dec. 14, 2012.
  8. ↑ Rosenberg, Karen (Oct. 30, 2008). “Art in Review: Donald Moffett/Yuichi Higashionna.” The New York Times. Retrieved Dec. 14, 2012.
  9. ↑ Fox, Dan (Oct. 2007). “Donald Moffett.” Archived October 11, 2008, at the Wayback Machine Frieze, p. 288. Retrieved Dec. 14, 2012.
  10. ↑ Panetta, Jane (July 16, 2012). “Donald Moffett.” Art in America. Retrieved Dec. 14, 2012.
  11. ↑ Smith, Roberta (May 6, 2010). “Lucio Fontana, Robert Beck and Donald Moffett.” The New York Times. Retrieved Dec. 14, 2012.
  12. ↑ Richer, Francesca and Matthew Rosenzweig, eds. No. 1: First Works by 362 Artists. New York: Distributed Art Publishers (2005).
  13. ↑ Wasserman, Nadine (Aug. 8, 2012). “Activist and Painter Donald Moffett's Boundary-Defying Work Intrigues at The Warhol.” Pittsburgh City Paper. Retrieved Dec. 14, 2012.
  14. ↑ Smith, Roberta (Nov. 4, 2005). “Art in Review: Donald Moffett.” The New York Times. Retrieved Dec. 14, 2012.
  15. ↑ "The Inward Eye: Transcendence in Contemporary Art | Contemporary Arts Museum Houston". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved December 15, 2012.
  16. ↑ "MCA Chicago Store".[permanent dead link]
  17. ↑ "Image Stream". Archived from the original on June 1, 2012. Retrieved December 15, 2012.
  18. ↑ Products. Judith Rothschild Foundation. Contemporary Drawings Collection [permanent dead link]
  19. ↑ "The Radiant Future Exhibition Catalog". Issuu. 30 October 2012.
  20. ↑ "Range: Experiments in New York, 1961–2007". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 2025-08-18.
  21. ↑ Donald Moffett: The Extravagant Vein Archived 2012-05-03 at the Wayback Machine, Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston. Retrieved Dec. 14, 2012.
  22. ↑ Donald Moffett: The Extravagant Vein, Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College. Retrieved Dec. 14, 2012.
  23. ↑ Griffin, Amy (March 21, 2012). “Art Review: Donald Moffett: The Extravagant Vein.” Albany Times-Union. Retrieved Dec. 14, 2012.
  24. ↑ Donald Moffett: The Extravagant Vein, Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh, PA. Retrieved Dec. 14, 2012.
  25. ↑ "Donald Moffett: What Barbara Jordan Wore". MCA. Retrieved 2019-04-24.
  26. ↑ "Sex with Sheila Hicks - Features - Art in America". Archived from the original on January 18, 2013. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
  27. ↑ "Donald Moffett The Extravagant Vein". Tang Teaching Museum.
  28. ↑ "Donald Moffett on This Will Have Been: Art, Love & Politics in the 1980s". 21 March 2012 – via www.youtube.com.
  29. ↑ The Front Row.
  30. ↑ Collection[link removed], Whitney Museum of American Art. Retrieved Dec. 14, 2012.
  31. ↑ The Collection: Donald Moffett, Museum of Modern Art, New York. Retrieved Dec. 14, 2012.
  32. ↑ Valdez, Sarah (Nov. 16, 2010). “Act Up New York.” Art in America. Retrieved Dec. 14, 2012.
  33. ↑ Permanent Collection: Donald Moffett, Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. Retrieved Dec. 14, 2012.
  34. ↑ Collections: Facts, Which If True (Joe McCarthy) Archived 2018-01-28 at the Wayback Machine, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Retrieved Dec. 14, 2012.
  35. ↑ Collections: Donald Moffett[link removed], Walker Art Center, Minneapolis. Retrieved Dec. 14, 2012.
  36. ↑ The Fluidity of Time: Selections from the MCA Collection[link removed], Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. Retrieved. Dec. 14, 2012.
  37. ↑ Donald Moffett, Modern Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas. Retrieved Dec. 14, 2012.
  38. ↑ "Blanton Museum of Art: The University of Texas at Austin". Archived from the original on 2015-07-19. Retrieved 2015-07-17.
  39. ↑ "Results for "Donald Moffett" – The Metropolitan Museum of Art". www.metmuseum.org. Retrieved 2025-08-18.