An avid collector of visual imagery, Donald Baechler (b. 1956 – 2022, New York) files away representations of maps, toys, upheld thumbs, and playing cards to later source for his compositions. With stylistic references to modernist masters and Pop Art added to these doses of pop culture, Baechler is celebrated for his works that overflow with the joy and idealism of an adult who hasn’t quite forgotten the innocence of childhood.

Baechler long experimented with a variety of forms and materials, always maintaining what has been dubbed as his “gee-whiz approach”. He scatters his surfaces with the detritus of childhood, portraying the adult today through the images of a past not quite left behind.