Caption: Enrico David, Untitled (Pipes II), 2021; Untitled (Pipes I), 2021; and Untitled, 2012. (Photo: Natalie Urusov).

Located on the second floor of a beautiful townhouse on the Upper East Side, VeneKlasen held its opening reception for Enrico David: Works on Paper 1995-2026 on May 13, 2026. David is an Italian artist, now based in London, known for his diverse representations of the human figure, spanning many media. This exhibit was the first showcasing his works on paper alone.

David’s style and evolution as an artist are represented in the variety of the 39 drawings featured. The use of pen and watercolor in his earlier works contrasts with the use of copper leaf, cold-cast bronze, and wax in his most recent works. The key visual for the exhibit is Untitled (Broken II), a collage of paper and copper that creates a disjointed rendition of a woman. As stated on the White Cube website, David witnessed his father’s death at a young age, which resulted in his focus on the “displacement of consciousness from the body.”

In the back gallery, an easel displays Untitled, 2012, a spare, intimate drawing that feels almost like a private note to David himself. To its left, Untitled (Pipes I) and Untitled (Pipes II), both from 2021, introduce a more architectural, almost industrial vocabulary, their tubular forms suggesting both the human body and something more mechanical. Together, the three works illustrate how David resists settling into a single visual language, even within the constrained medium of paper.

Enrico David’s Drawings,  VeneKlasen Exhibition View. (Photo: Natalie Urusov)