David Bates is a nationally acclaimed American artist known for his bold, expressive paintings, prints, and sculptures that often reflect themes of everyday life and the cultural landscape of Texas. A Dallas native, Bates earned both his BFA (1975) and MFA (1978) from Southern Methodist University (SMU), with a formative experience in between at the Whitney Independent Study Program.

Since the early 1980s, Bates has exhibited widely in both solo and group exhibitions across the country, with early appearances at institutions such as the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston. He was selected for the 1987 Whitney Biennial, and in 1988, the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth organized a traveling exhibition of his work. A major joint retrospective of his art was presented in 2014 by the Nasher Sculpture Center and the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.

Bates’ style is instantly recognizable for its bold forms, dark outlines, and fusion of American Regionalism with modernist influences like Henri Matisse. While best known for his paintings on canvas and panel, he is also prolific in sculpture and works on paper, consistently exploring the formal limits of each medium.

In recognition of his artistic contributions, Bates received the “Legend Award” from the Dallas Center for Contemporary Art in 2003. He continues to live and work in Dallas, Texas.