Dan Attoe


Dan Attoe is an American painter, sculptor, and author. Attoe is recognized for his detailed landscape and figurative paintings, as well as his neon sculptures featuring humorous or philosophical text.

Early life and education

Born in Bremerton, Washington, Attoe spent his childhood in various locations, including Island Park and Ashton, Idaho, and Silver Bay, Minnesota, due to his father's employment with the U.S. Forest Service. His mother often worked as a librarian. Attoe earned his BFA from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and UW–Stevens Point at Wausau in 1998, and his MFA from the University of Iowa in 2004. His first novel, The Taking Tree, was published in May 2024. He studied writing at The Writers' Workshop while pursuing his MFA at the University of Iowa. He is one of the founders of the collaborative art group Paintallica but left the group in 2017 due to creative differences.
Attoe worked part-time at Wausau Window and Wall Systems in Wausau, Wisconsin, for four years and held positions as a security guard, maintenance worker, and part-time installation technician at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. Currently, Attoe resides in Washougal, Washington, where he operate a tattoo shop named Dan’s Tattoos.

Solo exhibitions

  • “The Dead of Winter II”, The Hole, L.A. 2023
  • "The Dead of Winter", The Hole, New York 2022
  • "Pandemic Paintings", Western Exhibitions, Chicago 2021
  • "Dan Attoe", The Hole, New York 2020
  • "American Dreams," curated by Tania Pardo, MUSAC, Leon, Spain
  • Group Exhibition, "Shape of Things to Come," Saatchi Gallery, London
  • Group Exhibition, Contemporary Northwest Art Awards, Portland Art Museum, Portland
  • "Simple Thoughts and Complicated Animals," Peres Projects Berlin, Germany
  • "Several Landscapes," Western Exhibitions, Chicago, IL
  • "Loaded, Nailed, and short on Cash," Peres Projects, Los Angeles
  • "You have more freedom than you are using," Peres Projects, Berlin, Germany
  • "Vilma Gold," London, UK 404 Arte Contemporanea, Naples, Italy
  • "Some of the best things I know," Peres Projects, Los Angeles
  • "New Figuration," Galleri Christina Wilson, Copenhagen, Denmark
  • "Some of the Best Things I know," Peres Projects, Los Angeles

Selected group exhibitions

Education