The Facts
On October 23, 2026, Thaddaeus Ropac announced an exhibition of works by David Salle that apply a personalised AI model to his Tapestry Paintings (1989–91), inspired by eighteenth-century Imperial Russian tapestries. The works, previously presented at the Palazzo Cini in Venice, are fragmented and recombined by the algorithm, then printed onto linen and reworked with oil, acrylic, Flashe and charcoal. Developed from 2022 and trained primarily on Salle's own oeuvre, the AI introduces another stage of mediation in the paintings' lineage from oil to woven textile and back to canvas. The project extends ideas from the Pictures Generation, referencing Douglas Crimp's 1977 essay "Pictures" on appropriation and originality.
The Signal
For collectors and curators, the series signals how a major artist from the Pictures Generation is grappling with generative media, turning algorithmic output into a studio tool rather than a spectacle. Salle's layered approach—combining historical sources, machine processing and manual mark-making—offers a model for integrating AI into painting without abandoning craft. It also raises questions about authorship and value as images migrate across media, making this a key moment to watch for those tracking contemporary painting's response to technological change.
- Artists: David Salle
- People: Douglas Crimp
- Galleries: Thaddaeus Ropac
- Locations: Venice
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