David Klein Gallery is pleased to announce the opening of < a href=\"https://www.dkgallery.com/exhibitions/120-robert-schefman-the-gar den/\">The Garden\, an exhibition featuring new and recent paintings b y Robert Schefman. \;
\nWhen everything is in place ecologically \, socially and agriculturally we can accept the absurdity of being human. - Robert Schefman\, 2026
\nFor his second solo exhibition with Davi d Klein Gallery\, Robert Schefman employs nature as an analogy for investi gating the human experience. His previous explorations shed a light on mai ntaining personal histories in the age of technology while another recent series focused on the hidden world of secrets he collected from anonymous participants. Schefman&rsquo\;s narrative paintings are introspective\, us ing images to convey what it means to be human in a world that is ever cha nging and yet remains the same. \;His latest series\, The Garden\, co ntinues his career spanning investigation into humankind.
\nThe gard en is never static. It is always in a temporary state\, one where planning and constant attention can still result in a return to forest or desert. Even the well-tended garden will eventually decline over time and plants w ill stop blooming or bearing fruit. \;
\nMy Garden series is a m etaphor for one&rsquo\;s personal struggle to create and maintain growth. Like a garden\, our time is short and our bodies are more fragile than we care to admit. In response we spend a lifetime looking for meaning and som e perspective on time spent in the garden. -Robert Schefman\, 2026
\nRobert Schefman is a sculptor and painter. After achieving an MFA in scul
pture at the University of Iowa\, he moved to New York City\, setting up a
studio and producing large scale minimalist steel sculpture. Gradually ad
ding painting to his studio practice\, Schefman has continued to make illu
sionist narrative work the focus of his work. Fascinated with connecting t
hreads in the social fabric\, he uses the illusionist format to address th
e unchanging reality of sight.
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Schefman&rsquo\;s work is
in numerous private and public collections including The Broad Museum of
Art\, East Lansing\, MI\; The Frank Lloyd Wright Smith House\, Bloomfield
Hills\, MI\; The Detroit Institute of Arts\, Detroit\, MI\; The Flint Muse
um of Art\, Flint\, MI\; The Mint Museum of Art\, Charlotte\, NC\; The Boc
a Raton Museum of Art\, Boca Raton\, FL\; The 19th District Court\, Dearbo
rn\; Ford Arts Center\, Dearborn\; Wayne State University\, Detroit\; The
Cooley Law School\, Lansing\; The University of Iowa\, Iowa City\, IA and
private collections in Detroit\, New York\, San Francisco\, and Los Angele
s. Notable exhibitions include The Outwin 2022: American Portraiture Today
at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery\, which toured to the Grand
Rapids Art Museum\, The Orlando Museum of Art and the Ackland Art Museum\,
Chapel Hill\, NC. \;Additional exhibitions include The Detroit Insti
tute of Art\, The Fort Wayne Museum of Art\, Midland Center for The Arts\,
The Krasl Art Center\, Oakland University Art Gallery\, The Salamagundi C
lub\, Manifest Research Gallery and David Klein Gallery. \;
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A native of Detroit\, Schefman earned a BFA from Michigan State Un
iversity\, and an MFA from the University of Iowa. Awards include the Kres
ge Artist Fellowship\, Pollack-Krasner Foundation\, The Bernard Maas Prize
\, ArtServe Michigan\, The Arts Foundation of Michigan\, and the Universit
y of Iowa. He is currently Professor Emeritus at the College for Creative
Studies in Detroit and is represented by David Klein Gallery. He lives and
works in Metro Detroit.