Nate Lowman

Nate Lowman's work, despite incorporating elements of Pop, appropriation, and assemblage, maintains a profound political intent, ensuring that no image becomes neutralized by its context.

Biography of Nate Lowman

Nate Lowman was born in 1979 in Las Vegas, USA, and raised in Idyllwild, California. He attended Idyllwild Arts Academy there.

Lowman had a transformative experience at the age of fifteen when he visited New York to see Cy Twombly's exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art. During his visit, he attended a poetry reading at St. Mark's Church, where Patti Smith emerged from the audience and performed a few songs. Inspired by this encounter, he made the decision to relocate to New York.

From 1997 to 2001, he attended New York University, earning his Bachelor of Science degree in 2001. During his studies, he also worked as a security guard at Dia Center for the Arts on weekends.

His debut solo exhibition in New York City took place in 2009 at the Maccarone Gallery.

Nate Lowman's recent solo exhibitions include "Delusion Horizon" at MASSIMODECARLO in Milan (2023), "Let’s Go" at David Zwirner Gallery in New York (2022), "Mother’s Indigestion" at MASSIMODECARLO Pièce Unique in Paris (2021), and several others.

The artist has showcased his artwork in numerous group exhibitions at venues around the world, including David Nolan Gallery (New York), Massimo de Carlo (Milan, London), La Sucriere (Lyon), Thaddeus Ropac (Paris), Gagosian Gallery (London), and the Astrup Fearnley Museum (Oslo), among others.

Nate Lowman's Art Style 

Nate Lowman gathers and reinterprets the remnants of modern American life, offering a fresh perspective on familiar signs and symbols.

Since the early 2000s, Lowman has utilized alkyd, a dense and glossy paint that he applies in thick dots onto the canvas, mimicking the process of creating a tattoo. The resulting images evoke the blurring effect seen in DIY posters and zines when an image is repeatedly photocopied. In addition to these works, Lowman crafted shaped canvases featuring crossed-out smiley faces, doodled hearts and flowers, car air fresheners, and bullet holes.

Lowman's artistic approach is diverse, ranging from exhibiting cars and gas pumps to incorporating found objects and signs. Additionally, he has employed a salon-style presentation, adorning gallery walls with canvases of various shapes and sizes.

Following his involvement in several group exhibitions from 2006 to 2009, Lowman initiated a series of paintings influenced by Willem de Kooning's 1954 "Marilyn Monroe" series. In this series, he reinterprets de Kooning's style and subject matter, infusing the colors of 1980s surfboards into his works.

In 2013, Lowman initiated his "Maps" series, building upon the earlier shaped canvases. The "Maps" explore the randomness of borders, blending unpredictable splatters and stains with references to American quilt-making and Pop art.