David Gilbert is a discerning scavenger of poignant and beautiful things. He composes ephemeral vignettes from simple materials such as fabric, yarn, and cardboard and then photographs them. The resulting photographs capture moments of true spontaneity and accident paired with a studied airiness and grace. The images, evocatively lit, become a theatrical record of the transitory scenes Gilbert constructs in his studio.
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Catalog for Purchase
David Gilbert Lilies, 2026
Spanning more than a decade of the artist’s practice, Lillies, David Gilbert’s first monograph, reimagines the artist’s studio as a paradigmatic space for multiple personhoods and alternative energies. Gathering 114 staged photographs, each composition depicts scenes of interiority, scaled-up dioramas of the artist’s psychic landscape embodying what it might mean to be an artist.
Museum Exhibition
David Gilbert Solo Exhibition at the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art
David Gilbert: Flutter, a solo exhibition surveying David Gilbert's career thus far, opens at the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA) in Winston-Salem, NC. On display in this exhibition - Gilbert's first institutional show - are photographs ranging from 2011 through 2023, revealing several themes and motifs the artist has returned to throughout his robust 12 year career. The exhibition opens April 18 and will run through August 18, 2024.
Review
David Gilbert: Flutter at the North Carolina Museum of Art, Winston-Salem
Robert Alan Grand reviews David Gilbert’s 2024 solo show Flutter at SECCA. Grand connects Gilbert’s work with iconic queer culture, both high and low.
Review
'In the Way of Stars' by Wayne Koestenbaum
From the February 2019 print edition of Artforum Magazine, Koestenbaum writes about David Gilbert’s practice and his show “House & Garden” at Klaus von Nichtssagend Gallery.
Acquisition
David Gilbert, Gone Girl, 2018
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) has acquired Gone Girl, 2018 for its permanent collection through the LENS Photography Council.
Review
David Gilbert’s ‘The Secret Garden,’ Photography as Dreamscape
David Gilbert reviewed in the New York Times
Review
Goings on About Town: David Gilbert, Angels
“Angels,” David Gilbert’s solo show at the gallery was reviewed in The New Yorker magazine.
Review
Photographer David Gilbert’s Tableaux Give Studio Detritus an Air of Drama and Glamour
Matt Sussman reviewed David Gilbert’s 2019 solo show Painted Ladies.
