David Simpson: Interference

Haines Gallery proudly presents our tenth solo exhibition with acclaimed Bay Area artist David Simpson (b. 1928; lives and works in Berkeley, CA). Interference presents a selection of abstract paintings by the celebrated painter, whose work has influenced generations of artists since the 1950s. 

Simpson’s latest exhibition with Haines Gallery takes its title from his use of “interference” pigments, which respond to changes in light and the viewer’s perspective, shifting subtly (i.e., from silver to blue), or dramatically (from royal purple to peacock green), depending on the artist’s intent. Simpson has been working with interference pigments since the early 1990s. Demonstrating his mastery of this signature material, each canvas on view is the result of up to thirty coats of paint, meticulously layered to create a rich, lustrous surface. In a review for ArtNews in 2001, the critic Mark Van Proyen wrote that each of Simpson’s paintings are “rich with allusions … buoyantly alive to the implicit touch of the viewer’s gaze”.

Now in his 90s, Simpson continues to delight with works of remarkable dynamism, evoking the movement of clouds, or the play of light across water, ultimately offering viewers a powerful space of contemplation.