David Caille : 1986 - 2014. 'He will not be forgotten'

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I've already posted a short article about David Caille, but as today is the tenth anniversary of his death, I thought I'd make a longer post, even if it repeats some of the former one, and add more photos.

David was an immensely talented young painter, but at 27 he took his own life: a tragedy for him and his family, of course, but also a great loss to art. He'd studied in Düsseldorf with Peter Doig, who on learning of his death wrote:

'I loved David's work and really really liked him as a person - as a fellow artist and as a student. He first came to visit me in Düsseldorf from Lyon with his portfolio, and showed me his work. He asked if he could join my class and he said he felt he was marginalised making paintings in Lyon. I was immediately attracted to his painted language and the imagery that he worked with. I enjoyed having him in my class, as did all the students who worked there during this time. He was a very popular and respected student and even years after he left we talk about him and the work he made - wondering what he was up to. We kept in touch somewhat - I hoped to ski with him in Savoie, as this was a passion we both shared. Mostly though I hoped to see his work develop as I truly believe he was one of the most interesting and gifted young artists I have worked with. He will not be forgotten.'

At the time of his suicide, David was preparing for his first group show in a commercial gallery, Forever Young, at the Galerie Catherine Bastide, in Brussels. Two of his last works were shown there posthumously. In 2017, with the support of David's family and friends, Mathis Collins & Gallien Déjean organised a nearly comprehensive exhibition at Treize in Paris, the Open Studio David had planned for, but didn't live to see. A catalogue was published, and Camille Azais covered the event with a perceptive article in ZéroDeux.

Later, again to mark the anniversary of David's death, I posted a few photos on Instagram. Such is the strength of David's work that within seconds, so it seemed, I had a message from gallery-owner Guillaume Sultana asking who the paintings were by and whether they were available. This eventually led to several paintings being included by artist-curator Paul Maheke in the two-part exhibition Yesn't, at Sultana in Belleville. Curator Anya Harrison caught Yesn't at Sultana, and when, in 2023, she curated the contemporary section of the vast exhibition Immortelle : Vitalité de la jeune peinture figurative française at Mo.Co in Montpellier, she included some of David's works. I joined his family there for the opening.

The latest twist in the tale of David's enduring legacy is his influence on the most recent work of Mamali Shafahi, made in collaboration with his partner Domenico Gutknecht and shown for the first time by Galerie Mitterrand at Art Paris this month. But I'll post about that separately.

The following are more pictures of David's work, and two pieces of music that are, to me, closely associated with this anniversary. Jeff Buckley's version of Hallelujah opened David's funeral service in his home region of Savoie in April 2014. And, purely by coincidence, Ann Hallenberg's performance of the Abschied from Mahler's Lied von der Erde appeared on YouTube the day after he died.











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