Bio

Derek Weiler Ph.D. is a German-American visual artist and independent art historian. Born outside of Philadelphia, PA, he moved with his family to the small medieval town of Constance, Germany, at the age of 2. He spent his childhood playing by the lake and in the forests, making up stories and games to keep his friends entertained. His parents took him on frequent trips to Italy to see art, and his mother would guide him through the seemingly endless galleries of the Uffizi museum in Florence, telling and re-telling the stories of the painters of the Renaissance.

Weiler studied painting and drawing at the Academy of Arts and Design in Stuttgart, Germany, and moved to New York City in 1990 where he received his MFA in studio art from Hunter College, City University of New York. Among his early influences are the German expressive works of Rainer Fetting and Karl Horst Hödicke as well as the pop art figurative artists David Hockney, Alice Neel and David Park. Some of the themes he explores in his work concern sexual identity, visibility of emotion, and authenticity of expression. His early work was featured in the historic exhibitions Stonewall 25 at White Columns, New York City, and Faggots – A Communiqué from North America at the Centro Cultural Ricardo Rojas, Buenos Aires. An artist in residence at Yaddo and the recipient of a Pollock-Krasner grant, his work has been shown in solo and group exhibitions in New York City, Cologne, Berlin, Brussels, and San Diego.

Derek earned his Ph.D. in art history from the Institute of Fine Arts, NYU, and taught at the Parsons School of Design, The New School, while also working as a researcher in the curatorial department at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He is currently pursuing his studio practice and teaching figure drawing in the San Diego, California, area.