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that had become academic and over-the-top in their adher- “As the Native Americans say, water is life,” he explains. “As an
ence to an ideal that was at best Romantic and at worst lost in artist, you must capture movement within stillness. That’s the
self-satisfaction with “action painting” that was belligerent with challenge of painting water.” The brushwork in these compo-
color and splash. Prentice initially chose to pursue Minimalism. sitions is extraordinary in its subtlety and precision. “The aim
of the work is meditative, to have a calming, soothing effect. In
At the same time, he found his own workspace and home on that sense it can be healing.”
Broadway between Bleecker and Bond. It was three thousand
square feet of raw space that Prentice began transforming into He learned to speak Japanese and became something of a sensa-
an elegant and quintessential New York artist’s loft. There he tion over there, showing in the top galleries in Tokyo and other
created his White Paintings. cities, gathering a coterie of collectors, and lucrative commis-
sions. The works also garnered a devoted following in Europe,
The White Paintings were shown as the inaugural exhibition where the artist and his wife began to travel extensively.
when the Sonnabend Gallery moved from Paris to Manhattan.
Pieces from that series were acquired by the Smithsonian, the However, in New York, where critics and gallerists embraced
MoMA, Yale University, the Wadsworth Atheneum, and other edgy and shocking in search of the new, his name began to fade.
public and private collections. The White Paintings were also It did not seem to matter so much. Prentice eschewed art world
exhibited at top galleries in Toronto, Canada and Milano, Italy. isms and basked in the joy he got from painting. A few years ago,
“They were subtle,” he says of that period. “It was the first time he found himself experimenting with Minimalism again, in both
my painting became a form of meditation for me.” Eventually, painting and sculpture. “It’s another space for me to explore ar-
that contemplative quality led Prentice to begin experimenting tistically. I now do both,” he says unapologetically.
with landscapes. “I was hungry for content, which I found in
landscapes, and I found myself in that meditative space again.” Almost three years ago, tragedy struck. His wife died suddenly
Now, though, others were expressing an appreciation of the and unexpectedly. In the early part of this year, the seventy-five-
contemplative quality. It was present in the works. year-old artist decided to leave New York.

It was around this time that he met and married Shinko, a Japa- His paintings are currently being prepared for long-term stor-
nese woman with a distinctly modern sensibility and exceptional age. An avid reader, Prentice’s library, furniture and other be-
business acumen. The couple began hosting dinner parties where longings, are being dispersed among friends and family. He
artists and bohemian litterateurs mingled with the host’s collec- plans to make his house in Japan his base of operations, though
tors and visitors from abroad. William Burroughs, the iconic Beat he is looking at spaces in Europe to establish a second studio.
novelist, became Prentice’s close friend and frequent correspon- “After fifty-two years here, the universe is giving me a nudge,”
dent over decades. Soon Prentice and his bride began to divide he says. “It’s a new chapter.”
their time between Manhattan and Hokkaido, Japan.
To make an appointment to view and or purchase of David
It was in Japan that the artist embraced Buddhism. As a result, Prentice’s artwork please contact AMM CEO & Publisher
he feels strongly that, “If my art isn’t nourishing in some way, or Michael Reiss at reiss@ArtsManagementMagazine.com. David
spiritual, it’s a waste of time.” He gave himself over entirely to Prentice’s work can be viewed in New York City and The
landscape painting, often with a strong water element. Hamptons.

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