David Wiseman in his studio.
Photo: Mark Hanauer, Courtesy of David Wiseman Studio

David Wiseman

His work bridges art and design with his nature-inspired oeuvre of screens, chandeliers, and inlay furniture

David Wiseman in his studio. Photo: Mark Hanauer, Courtesy of David Wiseman Studio

“This is the busiest chapter of my life,” exclaims Los Angeles artist and designer David Wiseman, “but since I’ve been working, I’ve always said the same thing.”

Something in his voice relays that this time he really means it. There’s the slew of custom commissions, including a chandelier canopy that conjures “an overhead, glowing dream garden made of plaster, porcelain, and rock crystal,” which his 14-person studio is working on for a high-profile celebrity couples. And there’s the exhibition opening March 14 at Kasmin in New York, Wiseman’s first with the gallery.

Unique Bower Bird Serving Tray, 2016. Photo: Courtesy of Wiseman Studio

The new pieces on display will show just how his work bridges art and design with his nature-inspired oeuvre of screens, chandeliers, and inlay furniture that represent “microcosms and ecosystems from a dream world,” which draw inspiration from his love of nature and obsession with “BBC documentaries, Planet Earth, and anything David Attenborough.”

Bower Bird Side Table, 2016. Photo: Courtesy of Wiseman Studio

In his quest to realize a perfect jungle paradise, Wiseman will debut wallpaper depicting monkeys and a lagoon at the Kasmin show as well, plus a monolithic marble fireplace with a collage composition of “fish scale, clover, chrysanthemums, water, and shark teeth.”

A version of this article first appeared in print in our 2019 Spring Issue under the headline Creative Minds. Subscribe to the magazine.

Cover: David Wiseman in his studio.
Photo: Mark Hanauer, Courtesy of David Wiseman Studio

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