Images
Biography
Exhibitions
CV
Text

Bill Saylor

© Courtesy of Bill Saylor and cadet capela
Biography

Born in 1960, Willow Grove, PA, US
Lives and works in Brooklyn, NY, US

Bill Saylor is an American painter renowned for his distinctive exploration of gestural abstraction, intertwined with a deeply personal array of symbols and motifs. Saylor’s paintings exude palpable energy and engagement, addressing themes such as natural history, the impact of human activity on the environment, and the complex interplay between organic life and industrial presence.

Since the early 1990s, Saylor has developed a singular visual universe, distinct from mainstream currents, where space and pictorial force are central to each composition. His bold paintings blend wit, emotion, and playfulness. Dynamic strokes and vivid colors combine with raw sign-like elements, creating a dialogue between abstraction and figuration. Both an experimenter and a storyteller, Saylor invites viewers to explore a world where beings encounter and transform one another.

Born in 1960, Saylor (lives and works in New York) has exhibited at Magenta Plains (New York, USA), Leo Koenig Inc. (New York, USA), The Journal Gallery (Brooklyn, USA), Loyal Gallery (Stockholm, SE), Duck Creek Arts Center (East Hampton, USA), and the Chinati Foundation (Marfa, USA), among others. Saylor has also participated in group exhibitions at the Brant Foundation (Greenwich, USA), Yerba Buena Art Center (San Francisco, USA), and Colby College Museum of Art (Waterville, USA).

Exhibitions
A.K.A. PSYCHOPOMP

A.K.A. PSYCHOPOMP

Bill Saylor

February 1 — March 1, 2025

54 rue Chapon, 75003 Paris
Mastering Disorder

Mastering Disorder

James Drinkwater, Jordy Kerwick, Humberto Poblete-Bustamante, Bill Saylor, Umut Yasat

April 27 — June 1, 2024

54 rue Chapon, 75003 Paris
Art Brussels 2023

Art Brussels 2023

Ernesto Burgos, Kazuma Koike, Humberto Poblete-Bustamante, Bill Saylor, Ryan Wilde

April 20 — 23, 2023

Brussels, BE
The Freaks Are Stealing Our Sunshine

The Freaks Are Stealing Our Sunshine

Bill Saylor

September 3 — October 8, 2022

13 rue Béranger, 75003 Paris
To make me forget about now...

To make me forget about now…

Yevgeniya Baras, Kimia Ferdowsi Kline, Bill Saylor, Suzannah Wainhouse

June 4 — July 9, 2022

54 rue Chapon, 75003 Paris

Curriculum vitae

Solo and two-person exhibitions
  • 2025
    A.K.A. PSYCHOPOMP, cadet capela, Paris, FR
  • 2023
    Low Level High, Magenta Plains, New York, NY, US
  • 2022
    The Freaks Are Stealing Our Sunshine, cadet capela, Paris, FR
  • 2020
    Le Deuce Deuce, with Mason Saltarrelli, The Arts Center at Duck Creek, East Hampton, NY, US
  • 2019
    Neptune’s Machine, Magenta Plains, New York, NY, US
  • 2017
    Shadow Ballers, Magenta Plains, New York, NY, US
  • Bill Saylor and Mason Saltarrelli, with Mason Saltarrelli, Shrine Gallery, New York, NY, US
  • 2016
    Lightshow 1968, Donald Baechler & Bill Saylor, Makebish, New York, NY, US
  • 2015
    Bill Saylor, Makebish, New York, NY, US
  • 2012
    Liquidy Split, Makebish, New York, NY, US
  • Bill Saylor & Aidas Bareikis, with Aidas Bareikis, Shoot The Lobster, New York, NY, US
  • 2011
    Audio Tuna Sunshine, Leo Koenig Inc., New York, NY, US
  • 2010
    Ghost Light Junkie, The Journal Gallery, Brooklyn, NY, US
  • Artist in Residence Bill Saylor, Chinati Foundation, Marfa, TX, US
  • 2009
    If fantasies came by the gallon, this baby could run forever, Leo Koenig Inc., New York, NY, US
  • 2007
    No Confusion, Big Mistakes, Loyal, Stockholm, SE
  • 2006
    Bill Saylor & Josh Smith, with Josh Smith, Hiromi Yoshii Gallery, Tokyo, JP
  • 2003
    Softail Project, Leo Koenig Inc., New York, NY, US
  • 2002
    Espontaneo, Spokane Falls College, Spokane, WA, US
  • 2001
    Why Go Anywhere?, Leo Koenig Inc., New York, NY, US
  • 1999
    Bill Saylor, Leo Koenig Inc., New York, NY, US
Group exhibitions
  • 2022
    To make me forget about now…, curated by Jordy Kerwick, cadet capela, Paris, FR
  • 2021
    Friends & Family, Magenta Plains, New York, NY, US
  • Unearthed by JC, Mindy Solomon Gallery, Miami, FL, US
  • Path of the Storm, Sunny NY, New York, NY, US
  • NADA House, New York, NY, US
  • 2020
    100!, Loyal Gallery, Stockholm, SE
  • 2019
    Way Off Somewhere, Marvin Gardens, Queens, NY, US
  • Lexus of Inglewood, organized by Alex Becerra, Inglewood, CA, US
  • 2018
    Carry the Bend, Brennan & Griffin, New York, NY, US
  • 2017
    Feed the Meter, Volume II, Galerie Ceysson & Bénétière, Luxembourg, LU
  • Animal Farm, curated by Sadie Laska, The Brant Foundation, Greenwich, CT, US
  • Drawing Island, The Journal Gallery, New York, NY, US
  • 2016
    The Great Figure Part 2, The Journal Gallery, Brooklyn, NY, US
  • Bill Saylor, Aidas Bareikis, Kim Dorland, MIER Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, US
  • 2015
    Charmed, Shoot The Lobster, New York, NY, US
  • I ♥ Painting II, Angell Gallery, Toronto, ON, US
  • Whats Wrong With We?, Martos Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, US
  • The Negative Hand, Anonymous Gallery, Mexico City, MX
  • Ubiquity, Ille Arts, Amagansett, NY, US
  • 2014
    LIFE, curated by The Journal Gallery, Venus Over Manhattan, New York, NY, US
  • Volatile, Galleri Jacob Bjørn, DK
  • Other Weather, Vilinias Art Academy, LT
  • 2013
    Draw Gym, organized by Brian Belott, 247365 and Know More Games, Brooklyn, US
  • 2012
    Dangerous Curve Ahead, Ober Gallery, Kent, CT, US
  • Casa de Empeño, Anonymous Gallery, New York, NY, US
  • 2011
    Make, White Flag Projects, Saint Louis, MO, US
  • MAKE Skateboards, I-20 Gallery, New York, NY, US
  • Immanent Domain, Arena 1 Gallery, Santa Monica, CA, US
  • 2010
    Salad Days, The Journal Gallery, Brooklyn, NY, US
  • De-Nature, Jolie Laide Gallery, Philadelphia, PA, US
  • In Dialogue: Four Generations of Painting, curated by Peter Makebish, Anonymous Gallery, New York, NY, US
  • 2008
    Peanut Gallery, curated by Joe Bradley, The Journal Gallery, Brooklyn, NY, US
  • Faxination, Loyal, Stockholm, SE
  • Between Us…, Leo Koenig Inc., New York, NY, US
  • The Ice Cream Show, Loyal, Stockholm, US
  • Lily Ludlow, Bill Saylor and Anke Weyer, Aaron Brewer, Leo Koenig Inc., New York, NY, US
  • 2006
    Kamp K48, John Connelly Presents, New York, NY, US
  • Searching for Love & Fire, David Castillo Modern and Contemporary, Miami, FL, US
  • 2005
    The Zine Unbound: Kults, Werewolves and Sarcastic Hippies, Yerba Buena Art Center, San Francisco, CA, US
  • New York’s Finest, CANADA Gallery, New York, NY, US
  • Monster Painting, McClain Gallery, Houston, TX, US
  • Hope Auction for Amina Tastini, Passerby, New York, NY, US
  • Is there anybody out there?, Hiromi Yoshii Gallery, Tokyo, JP, US
  • 2004
    Contemporary Painting, curated by Alex Katz, Colby College Museum of Art, Waterville, ME, US
  • So Little Time, So Many Mistakes, curated by Josh Smith, Champion Fine Art, Brooklyn, NY, US
  • K48 Launch Auction, Agnes B Store, Soho, NY, US
  • Stop & Store, Luxe Gallery, New York, NY, US
  • 2003
    Age of Unreason, M.O.C.A., D.C., Washington, DC, US
  • 2002
    Proper Villains, curated by David Hunt, Untitled Space, New Haven, CT, US
  • Leo Koenig, Las Vegas, NV, US
  • Neonopolis, Las Vegas, NV, US
  • 2001
    Strictly Painting 2, Voges & Deisen, Frankfurt am Main, DE
  • Aidas Bareikis, Torben Giehler, and Bill Saylor, Eleni Koroneou Gallery, Athens, GR
  • Come on Feel the Noise, Asbaek Gallery, Copenhagen, DK
  • Escape Velocity, Miller Durazo Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, US
  • Burglar, curated by Elizabeth Balogh, Spencer Brownstone Gallery, New York, NY, US
  • Leo Koenig, Inc., Brooklyn, NY, US
  • You Are Now Leaving the Goldie-Locks Zone, M.O.C.A., D.C., Washington, DC, US
  • Machine Gun Etiquette, Spencer Brownstone Gallery, New York, NY, US
  • Pets, Bronwyn Keenan Gallery, New York, NY, US
  • Solar Perplexus, Spanish Kitchen, Los Angeles, CA, US
  • 1996
    X-Mess, The American Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, US
  • 1995
    Taking Stock, curated by Kenny Schachter, The Exchange Building, New York, NY, US
  • 1993
    Phone, Dooley La Cappelane Gallery, New York, NY, US
  • 1992
    The Real Thing, curated by Erik Oppenheim, New York, NY, US
  • 1991
    Unlearning, curated by Kenny Schachter, 142 Greene Street, New York, NY, US
Fairs
  • 2023
    Art Brussels, cadet capela, Brussels, BE
  • Dallas Art Fair, Magenta Plains, Dallas, TX, US
  • 2022
    Intersect Aspen Art Fair, Magenta Plains, Aspen, CO, US
  • 2018
    Upstairs Art Fair, Magenta Plains, Amagansett, NY, US
  • 2016
    Frieze New York, curated by Katherine Bernhardt, Canada Gallery, New York, NY, US
  • 2014
    NADA New York, Solo booth, Makebish, New York, NY, US
  • 2005
    NADA Miami, Miami Beach, FL, US
Education
  • 1985
    BFA, California State University, Long Beach, CA, US
  • 1982
    Santa Barbara City College, Santa Barbara, CA, US
cadet capela
Bill Saylor
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