Derek Buckner
Encyclopedia
Derek Buckner is an American realist painter in New York City
. He studied at the Art Institute of Chicago
, and has exhibited in New York City, East Hampton
, and Todo Santos, Mexico. His father, Walker Buckner, is an important realist painter in Boston
. Buckner is the nephew of new music pioneer Thomas Buckner
and children's advocate Elizabeth Buckner.
Derek Buckner is a Brooklyn-based artist who draws his inspiration from the beauty within the seemingly banal settings of suburban houses and intersecting freeways. These scenes are not meant to depict particular areas of the United States but archetypal representations of American suburban sprawl. It is not only the artist’s expressive, elemental brushwork that depicts vital images of the contemporary American landscape, but also his choice of subjects, which emphasize the disquiet of suburban life. Buckner states, “.... I am attracted to American productivity-- its fecundity and its excess in the twenty-first century. It is also by seeing beyond our preconceived notions of place that I find splendor—whether it be tract housing glowing in the evening sun or the intertwining of concrete freeways in the heat of the day.”
Derek Buckner grew up in Brooklyn, New York. He went on to study at Vassar College
and received his B.F.A. from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He has exhibited in New York, Chicago, Italy, Mexico, East Hampton, and Santa Fe. His work is in numerous private and corporate collections in this country and abroad. His most recent show at the George Billis Gallery in New York was reviewed favorably in the New Yorker, The New York Sun as well as other publications. He has also received reviews in the New York Times and the LA Times and was recently selected by Charlotta Kotik of the Brooklyn Museum for a juried exhibition of young painters.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He studied at the Art Institute of Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago is one of America's largest accredited independent schools of art and design, located in the Loop in Chicago, Illinois. It is associated with the museum of the same name, and "The Art Institute of Chicago" or "Chicago Art Institute" often refers to either...
, and has exhibited in New York City, East Hampton
East Hampton (town), New York
The Town of East Hampton is located in southeastern Suffolk County, New York, at the eastern end of the South Shore of Long Island. It is the easternmost town in the state of New York...
, and Todo Santos, Mexico. His father, Walker Buckner, is an important realist painter in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. Buckner is the nephew of new music pioneer Thomas Buckner
Thomas Buckner
Thomas Buckner is an American baritone vocalist specializing in the performance of contemporary classical music and improvised music...
and children's advocate Elizabeth Buckner.
Derek Buckner is a Brooklyn-based artist who draws his inspiration from the beauty within the seemingly banal settings of suburban houses and intersecting freeways. These scenes are not meant to depict particular areas of the United States but archetypal representations of American suburban sprawl. It is not only the artist’s expressive, elemental brushwork that depicts vital images of the contemporary American landscape, but also his choice of subjects, which emphasize the disquiet of suburban life. Buckner states, “.... I am attracted to American productivity-- its fecundity and its excess in the twenty-first century. It is also by seeing beyond our preconceived notions of place that I find splendor—whether it be tract housing glowing in the evening sun or the intertwining of concrete freeways in the heat of the day.”
Derek Buckner grew up in Brooklyn, New York. He went on to study at Vassar College
Vassar College
Vassar College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York, in the United States. The Vassar campus comprises over and more than 100 buildings, including four National Historic Landmarks, ranging in style from Collegiate Gothic to International,...
and received his B.F.A. from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He has exhibited in New York, Chicago, Italy, Mexico, East Hampton, and Santa Fe. His work is in numerous private and corporate collections in this country and abroad. His most recent show at the George Billis Gallery in New York was reviewed favorably in the New Yorker, The New York Sun as well as other publications. He has also received reviews in the New York Times and the LA Times and was recently selected by Charlotta Kotik of the Brooklyn Museum for a juried exhibition of young painters.