David Ostrowski (born 1981 in Cologne, Germany) is a German painter. Ostrowski studied at Kunstakademie Düsseldorf under Albert Oehlen. He is a Professor of Painting at the State Academy of Fine Arts Karlsruhe since 2022. He is the grandson of Krystyna Żywulska. He lives and works in Cologne, Germany.
Work In his paintings, Ostrowski uses a restricted range of materials from his studio, including canvas, primer, emulsion, spray paint, and found objects like paper, cardboard, and tape. The works are casual, often monochrome, and characterized by a process that combines intuitive gestures with elements of chance and error. Ostrowski’s approach avoids traditional pictorial conventions and his paintings are often left open to interpretation, with titles such as F suggesting ambiguity.Heiser, Jörg: Numerous Sides of Nothing – On David Ostrowski, in: The F Word, ARKEN Museum of Modern Art, Copenhagen, 2015. , p. 13 Ostrowski’s work has been described to focus on the exploration of emptiness within the context of painting.
Awards 2012 Studio programme Kölnischer Kunstverein und Imhoff-Stiftung, Cologne, Germany
Solo Exhibitions 2026: The Critic, Kunstverein Heilbronn 2026: Test, The Perimeter, London 2025: Let me put it this way, Aranya Art Center, Beidaihe, China 2024: Parliament, Sprüth Magers, New York 2023: Leeres Wasser (Anti Drawings), Fig., Tokyo 2024: Concerned with things as their own composition, Ramiken, New York 2021: So kalt kann es nicht sein / It can't be that cold, Sprüth Magers, Berlin 2020: Lady Helen, Lady Helen, London (with Angharad Williams) 2020: POGŁOS / OVERTONE, Avant-Garde Institute, Warsaw (with Tobias Spichtig) 2020: Lieber Nackt als Gefühlsleben, Jir Sandel, Copenhagen 2020: Menschen, Bilder, Emotionen / 사람, 그림, 감정, Leeahn Gallery, Seoul 2019: Political Paintings, Sundogs, Paris 2019: Political Correction, Piece Unique, Cologne 2018: The Thin Red Line, Sprüth Magers, London 2018: The Warsaw Pavilion, Wschód, Warsaw 2017: DONT, Halle 9 Kirowwerk, Leipzig 2017: Bei mir geht es in den Keller hoch, , Barcelona 2016: To Lose, , Düren (with Michail Pirgelis) 2015: The F Word, Arken Museum, Copenhagen 2015: I want to die Forever, Kunstraum Innsbruck 2014: How To Do Things Left, Rubell Museum, Miami 2014: Just do it, Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Turin 2013: F, , Cologne
Group Exhibitions
2023: The Sky is Thin. Drawings, Standard Oslo 2023: Watercolours, Chapter III, XYZcollective, Tokyo 2022: Tiere, Catherine Zeta, Cologne 2021: NOTHINGTOSEENESS, Akademie der Künste, Berlin 2021: architektura, Fuhrwerkswaage, Cologne 2020: One Moment Please, Triest, New York 2020: Who am I - VOL I, Mélange, Cologne 2020: Il Ghirigoro, Pio Pico, Los Angeles 2019: Dicke Luft, Galerie Bernhard, Zurich 2019: Bad Actors, KARST, Plymouth 2019: RAW, DuMont Kunsthalle, Cologne 2019: 3 Zimmer, Küche, Bad, Braunsfelder, Cologne 2018: TRANCE, Aïshti Foundation, Beirut Harten, John (2019). Albert Oehlen - Trance. Milan, Skira Editore 2017: Bild des Tages, plət, Amsterdam 2017: THE ART SHOW – Art of the New Millennium, Museum of Modern Art, Gunma 2016: Fasi Lunari, Fondazione Carriero, Milan 2015: Full of Peril and Weirdness: Painting as a Universalism, M Woods Museum, Beijing 2014: Ordinary Freaks, Halle für Kunst & Medien, Graz 2014: Beware Wet Paint, Institute of Contemporary Arts, London
Public collections The works of David Ostrowski are held, among others, in the following public collections:
Aïshti Collection, Beirut Arken Museum Collection, Copenhagen Braunsfelder Family Collection, Cologne Colección Jumex, Mexico CityMuseo de la Colección Jumex Danjuma Collection, London De la Cruz Collection, MiamiDe la Cruz Collection’ Force and Form exhibition Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Turin Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles Louis Vuitton Collection, Paris Marciano Art Foundation, Los AngelesThe Marciano Collection Moderna Museet, StockholmModerna Museet Collection Museum of Old and New Art, Berriedale Olbricht Collection, Berlin Rubell Museum, MiamiMade in Germany: Contemporary Art from the Rubell Family Collection Sammlung Goetz, Munich Sammlung Scharpff, Bonn Sammlung Philara, Düsseldorf Syz Collection, SwitzerlandTrembley, Nicolas (2019). The Syz Collection. Zurich, JRP Ringier Kunstverlag, p. 21. Taguchi Art Collection, TokyoTaguchi Art Collection Tel Aviv Museum, Tel Aviv Zabludowicz Collection, London
Bibliography
Leeres Wasser (Anti Drawings), Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther König, Cologne, 2023. Concerned with things as their own composition, Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther König, Cologne, 2023. Chuzpe, Weinspach, Cologne, 2021 So kalt kann es nicht sein / It can’t be that cold, Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther König, Cologne, 2021. Poglos / Overtone (with Tobias Spichtig), Avant-Garde Institute, Warsaw, 2021 Time & Life (with Magnus Frederik Clausen), Jir Sandel, Copenhagen, 2021. Menschen, Bilder, Emotionen, Leeahn Gallery / Sprüth Magers, Seoul, 2020. 3 Zimmer, Küche, Bad (with Andreas Schulze, Sophie von Hellermann), Braunsfelder, Cologne, 2019. I strongly object, Weinspach, Cologne, 2019. The thin red line, Mousse Publishing, London, 2018. DON’T/Conscious Decadence (with Nan Goldin & Galileo Chini), Halle 9 Kirowwerk, Leipzig, 2018 Nothing Happened / To Lose (with Michail Pirgelis), Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther König, Cologne, 2018. I want to die Forever, Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther König, Cologne, 2018. The F Word, ARKEN Museum of Modern Art, Copenhagen, 2015. How to do things left, Rubell Family Collection, Miami, 2014. Even the most beautiful woman ends at her feet, Meurer Verlag, Cologne, 2013. F Paintings, Peres Projects, Berlin, 2013. Dann lieber nein, Figge von Rosen Galerie, Cologne, 2012 Ostrowski, David / Randt, Leif: Shake Your Tree, Nr. 4, Berlin, 2012 Die Lügnerin (with Philip Seibel), FORMAT:C, Düsseldorf, 2011 Hulk vs. Hulk (with David Fintrop), Acapulco, Düsseldorf, 2007
See also Ostrowski, Polish surname
References