David Provan

In his early twenties, David Provan apprenticed as a carpenter in Japan, building houses in the Tokyo/Yokohama area. This first exposure to finely crafted construction led him, a decade later, to study architecture and painting at Yale. After Japan, however, he chose to follow his interests in Buddhism and yoga, and re-located to India and Nepal for the next two and a half years. A large part of that time he spent as an ordained monk in a monastery near Kathmandu, studying and meditating under the guidance of a renowned Tibetan Rinpoche. Returning to the west, he received a BA from Yale and a MA from the Royal College of Art, in London. Over time, his interests in art, architecture, and Asian philosophy coalesced into a passion for producing sculptural objects that explore the patterns and tendencies of the universe. His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, including shows at Grace Borgenicht Gallery, NY; Mindy Oh Gallery, Chicago; Wenger Gallery, Los Angeles; the Fitchburg Art Museum, Fitchburg, MA; galleries in the Hudson Valley; and the Seoul Metropolitan Museum of Art, Korea. In 1988, he received a Pollock/Krasner grant and in 1995 he was awarded a commission for a permanent sculpture installation in the New York Subway. On April 18th, 2024, David Provan passed away from Mesothelioma.