Almine Rech pays tribute to De Wain Valentine

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of De Wain Valentine (1936 - 2022). We are proud and honored to have worked closely with this incredible artist. 

De Wain Valentine was born in Colorado and arrived in L.A. in 1965 to teach a course in plastics technology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He is regarded today among the earliest pioneers in the use of industrial plastics and resins to execute monumental sculptures that reflect the light and engage the surrounding space through its mesmerizingly translucent surfaces that arrest one's gaze. […] This technical knowledge, combined with his subsequent experience working with fiberglass-reinforced plastic in boat building shops and painting automobiles, air planes - and even, according to some, UFOs - led to his fascination and artistic involvement with sculptures made out of colored plastic and polyester resin, all materials evoking a futurist era.

Almine Rech organized several exhibitions with the artist since 2014 including a retrospective titled 'Works from 1967 to present' in New York in 2019 and 'De Wain Valentine' at Almine Rech Paris in 2014.

De Wain Valentine in his studio with Red Concave Circle, 1970, Valentine Studio, Venice Beach, CA - Photo: Harry Drinkwater