Ariel and Other Spirits

On the occasion of the Met premiere of Adès’s The Tempest
David Salle
September 25, 2012 – January 12, 2013

David Salle’s Ariel and Other Spirits was presented in conjunction with the Met premiere of Thomas Adès’s The Tempest. Salle immersed himself in both Adès’s music and Shakespeare’s poetry while creating the works for this show, which included a suite of paintings and watercolors. “I decided to concentrate on one or two images from the play: the tempest itself—the storm and shipwreck and its aftermath—and the strange, moody island full of spirits,” Salle said. “I was interested in the jumpy, changeable, spirits-flying-through-the-air kind of feeling that I found in the play—and the music.”

Tempest (Arrival), 2012
oil and acrylic on linen
84 x 120 inches
© David Salle/Licensed by Vaga, NY, NY
Courtesy of Mary Boone Gallery, NY

Tempest (Shipwreck), 2012
oil and acrylic on linen
78 x 117 inches
© David Salle/Licensed by Vaga, NY, NY
Courtesy of Mary Boone Gallery, NY

Miranda with Night Spirits, 2012
oil and acrylic on canvas
64 × 85 inches Art
© David Salle/Licensed by Vaga, NY, NY
Courtesy of Mary Boone Gallery, NY

 Installation view of David Salle’s Ariel and other spirits