It is a truth universally acknowledged that a painter in possession of a home-slash-studio must be in want of great light. David Salle, the Oklahoma-born, East Hampton–based artist, is no exception, as he himself made clear in a December 2015 AD feature. Speaking to the magazine’s Mayer Rus, Salle said that the light in the Long Island beach community was “great in all seasons.” William Waldron’s correlating photographs are a testament to that fact, although they include only one exterior shot of the artist and former John Baldessari student’s studio, and one portrait of the man himself inside.
Now, Salle’s own artworks are set to go on view in another bucolic setting. Yesterday, the Brant Foundation announced its plans to open an exhibition dedicated to Salle’s oeuvre at its Greenwich, Connecticut, location this May. It’s a fitting venue, considering that the foundation’s brown, stony exterior is not unlike Salle’s own shingled home in palette and hue, and the fact that both structures cede their centrality—to a certain extent—to the great outdoors.
In the case of Salle’s own property, that fact is evident in the sun- and shade-dappled grounds, expertly designed by landscape architect and committed naturalist Edwina von Gal. Meanwhile, the interiors, largely handled by Salle himself with help from interior designer and friend Joe D’Urso, are a testament to an artist’s innate understanding of space, shape, and color. They’re also a canvas of a different sort, for Salle to display works by other artists who continue to inspire him.
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And yet, it would not be entirely correct for one to direct his or her concentration to the paintings and sturdy walls of these interiors. “Architecture is not the main feature of this place,” Michael Haverland, the architect of Salle's home, told AD at the time of the article. “The landscape is the star, which is why we kept the buildings off to the side.” (Von Gal told Mayer that “my objective is always to showcase the trees as beautifully as possible,” adding further emphasis to Haverland’s point.) Salle was familiar with the site before it was his own, thanks to the fact that he was a friend of the property’s former owner. The deep understanding that resulted from his years-long approach is clear in the quiet, layered compound the artist created. But ultimately, for David Salle, the home is his true focus: “The house is there to support the studio,” he said at the time. “And the studio is perfect.” As perfect, perhaps, as the paintings soon to go on view.
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