Born in 1985, East Chicago, IN. Lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.
EDUCATION
2011
M.F.A., Painting, Yale University, New Haven, CT
2008
B.A., Fine Art, Indiana University Northwest, Gary, IN
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2023
Tornado Rose, Pace Seoul, Seoul, Korea
Mirror Quest, Kunstmuseum Schloss Derneburg, Holle, Germany
2022
STAND, The Watermill Center, Watermill, New York, NY
Thunderbolt Disco, Pace Gallery, London, United Kingdom
Bloodsport, Night Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2021
Robert Nava, Pace Gallery, East Hampton, NY
Angels, Vito Schnabel Gallery, New York, NY
Robert Nava, PACE Gallery, Palm Beach, FL
2020
Robert Nava, Sorry We’re Closed, Brussels, Belgium
2019
Mythologies, V1 Gallery, Copenhagen, Denmark
Vs, Night Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2018
Robert Nava, Sorry We’re Closed Gallery, Brussels, Belgium
2015
I’m Rubber, You’re Glue, ThreeFourThreeFour Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2023
The Big Picture, Night Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
PRESENT '23: Building the Scantland Collection of the Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus, OH
2022
Boil, Toil + Trouble, organized by Art in Common, 50 NE 40th Street, Miami, FL
Multiple Sights: The Tenth Anniversary of the Long Museum, Long Museum (West Bund), Shanghai, China
Come As You Are, Stony Island Arts Bank, Chicago, IL
2021
The Loneliest Sport, Spazio Amanita, New York, NY
Woaw Gallery & Avant Arte, Woaw Gallery, Hong Kong, HK
Sunburst, Night Gallery x VSF, Seoul, South Korea
2020
Majeure Force, Night Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Nine To Know, Ruttkowski 68, Paris, France
2019
NADA, Night Gallery Booth, Miami, FL
Momentum, organized by Franchise, AMP, and the National Basketball Association, Nautilus by Arlo, Miami, FL
Superzoom, Superszoomart, Paris, France
Punch, curated by Nina Chanel Abney, Jeffery Dietch, Los Angeles, CA
Malmö Sessions, Carl Kostyal, Malmö, Sweden
2018
MINE2, V1 Gallery, Copenhagen, Denmark
Person, Place, or Thing, Safe Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
NY Now, Allouche Benias Gallery, Athens, Greece
Paper Trails, Allouche Gallery, New York, NY
Paradise, organized by Edgar Bryan and Adrianne Rubenstein, Night Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Like No Other, Annarumma Gallery, Naples, Italy
Age Less World, Deli Grocery Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
Robert Nava and Lance De Los Reyes: Guardians of the Secret, Ober Gallery, Kent, CT
Mutants, 132 Perry St., New York, NY
2017
EXPO Chicago, Roberto Paradise Gallery Booth, Chicago, IL
We Are the Ones, CGK Gallery, Carlsberg, Copenhagen, Denmark
Shindig, YUI Gallery, New York, NY
Say Yes, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI
Forces of Nature, Ober Gallery, Kent, CT
Gas Medicine, Alexander’s Garage, New York, NY
2016
I Want to Believe, Bomb Pop up, New York, NY
The Aging Coconut, Roberto Paradise Gallery, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Plus One, Trestle Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2015
Instant Vacation, Trestle Projects, Brooklyn, NY
Mixtape 2, M. David Studio, 56 Bogart St. Brooklyn, NY
Art Shop 2, 99 Cent Plus Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2014
Dead Ends, Heliopolis, Brooklyn, NY
Broke Baroque, Sanctuary Projects, Pittsburgh, PA
Spring Auction Benefit, Novella Gallery, New York, NY
2013
Transitions Vol. 1 (Like an Indefinite State), Associated Gallery, New York, NY
Ex-ile, El Rincon Social, Houston, TX
2012
Pushing Painting Paradigms, Mason Gross Galleries, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
PDF Release & Party, curated by AGWF, CAGE, New York, NY
12 X 12 Alumni Exhibition, IU Northwest Gallery for Contemporary Art, Gary, IN
Harderer. Betterer. Fasterer. Strongerer., Brucennial 2, New York, NY
2011
M.F.A. Thesis Exhibition, Yale University, New Haven, CT
2010
Art for Haiti Benefit Auction, Yale University, New Haven, CT
2009
A Proposito: Pan Latino Dialogues, John Slade Ely House, New Haven, CT
2008
Senior Thesis Exhibition, IU Northwest Gallery for Contemporary Art, Gary, IN
LECTURES
2019
Visiting Artist, Indiana University Northwest, Gary, IN
Visiting Artist, Maryland Institute College of the Arts, Baltimore, MD
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus, OH
Dangxia Art Space, Beijing
The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, D.C.
Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami, FL
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA
Musée d'Art Modern, Paris, France
Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, San Diego, CA
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX
Norton Museum of Art, West Palm Beach, FL
Orange County Museum of Art, Santa Ana, CA
Perez Art Museum Miami, Miami, FL
Zuzeum Art Center, Riga, Latvia
Les Yeux Art Foundation, New York, NY
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
2022
Owen Duffy, “What’s the Worst Painting of All Time?” ArtReview, December 7
Robert Nava, “On Not Worrying What People Think of Your Work,” Interview with Katy Diamond Hamer, The Creative Independent, October 24
Jonah Goldman Kay, "Robert Nava at Pace | London,” Artforum, June 20
Paul Laster, “8 Must-See Gallery Exhibitions in March 2022.” Galerie, February 28
Cecilia Pou, “Seven Artists Who Took Their Careers to the Next Level,” Cultured, January 3
2021
Larissa Kikol “Kindliche Ästhetik als Stil.” Kunstforum International 276, August–September 2021: 84–85, illustrated
Kaylie Felsberg and Beatrice Sapsford, “10 In-Demand Works on Artsy This Week: August 12, 2021,” Artsy, August 12
Madison Douglas, “Robert Nava / Birds Fly, Then Must Be Our Earthly Angels on the Wing,” Flaunt, April 5
Nate Freeman, “Best Bad Painter,” Artnet News Intelligence Report, Spring
Paul Laster, “Robert Nava on Unleashing the Child Within,” Art & Object, March 4
“Robert Nava: Angels,” FAD Magazine, February 25
Moses Driver, “At Vito Schnabel Gallery, Robert Nava Explores Angels in Paint,” February 20
Cristina Samper, “Step Inside the Contorted Realities of Robert Nava’s Latest Work at
Pace Gallery, Palm Beach,” Art of Choice, January 14
2020
Nate Freeman, “Wet Paint.” Artnet News, December 11
Arthur Frydman, “Robert Nava : Le maître du bad painting à l’honneur au sein de la galerie
Sorry We’re Closed,” luxe.net, November 8
Keith Estiler, “Robert Nava Unveils New Paintings of Hybrid Beasts in Belgium,” Hypebeast, October 28
“Five artists to have on your radar this month,” Christie’s, October 16
Sarah Dotson, "5 Artist on Our Radar This August: Robert Nava," Artsy, August 3
Gay Gassmann, "What 11 Artists Have Created During Quarantine," Architectural Digest, May 19
Lance de los Reyes, “Robert Nava’s Secret Friends,” Office Magazine, April 24
Keith Estiler, “Robert Nava’s New Mythologies,” Hypebeast, March 19
Maria Vogel, “Looking for Fresh Talent? Here Are 7 Rising-Star Artists to Seek Out at Armory Week 2020 in New York,” Artnet News, March 2
2019
Joseph S. Pete, “Brooklyn-based ‘rising star’ in arts world to return to Region to give talk at IUN,” The Times of Northwest Indiana, October 15
Erika Rose, “Acclaimed Artist Robert Nava Returns to Alma Mater IUN,” Chicago Tribune, October 11
Keith Estiler, “Robert Nava Grapples with Mythical Creatures for ‘Vs.’ Exhibition,” Hypebeast, August 14
Lyle Zimskind, “Robert Nava Vs. Monsters at Night Gallery,” LA Weekly, August 8
Annabel Osberg, “Jasmine Little; Robert Nava,” August 7
Noah Johnson, “Enter Painter Robert Nava’s Wild World,” GQ, January 22
2018
“Inside Robert Nava’s Childlike Art of Absurtidy,” Artland, November
Leslie Brody, "Brooklyn Couple Offers Artists a Country Refuge-For Free," Wall Street Journal, January 30
Caio Twombly, “Robert Nava,” Avant Arte, May 5
2017
“Interview with Robert Nava,” Das Haus, June 16
2015
“The Artist Mover: Interview with Robert Nava,” Art Handler Magazine, September 30