Cole Sternberg

Cole Sternberg
Cole Sternberg, Sag Harbor, July 2013
Born
Cole Andrew Sternberg

Websitehttp://www.colesternberg.com/

Cole Sternberg is a Californian visual artist. Sternberg's media include painting, photography, sculpture, literature, room installations and film. Cole Sternberg Paintings, a hardcover book released in 2008 features six years of his painting. The 162 page book is listed as the first public release of Sternberg's work. Subsequent work has been exhibited in the United States and Europe.[1]

Early life

Sternberg was born in Richmond, VA and grew up in Saratoga, CA. He spent his early life drawing endlessly, but disliked the concept of being told how to perceive art, hence his educational pursuits led to B.A. degrees from Villanova University in business, and a Juris Doctor from American University. While at American, Sternberg received the university's Highest Award for Scholarship at the Graduate Level.[2] He hung oil paintings in a bar in his spare time as a student at American.[3]

Career

Cole Sternberg's practice spans painting, installation, video, and writing, often unfolding as sustained series that interrogate pressing social concerns — from human rights and their entanglement with legal frameworks, to the fragility of the environment, to the manipulations and excesses of humankind.

His works are frequently understated or quietly subversive, propelled by lyrical visual strategies and an undercurrent of poetry. At their core lies a preoccupation with the dissonance between humanity’s ideals and humankind’s actions — a misalignment that, in his view, impedes genuine social evolution.

Collections

His works are held by major collections throughout the world, such as the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA),[4] Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM), El Segundo Museum of Art (ESMoA), Museum of Old and New Art (Hobart, Tasmania), American University Museum (AUM) and Deutsche Telekom.

Reception

Cole's work has been featured in the New York Times,[5] Wall Street Journal,[6] Whitewall Magazine,[7] Issue Magazine,[8] Autre Magazine,[9] Hercules,[10] Denver Post,[11] Miami New Times,[12] LA Weekly,[13] Art Ltd.,[14] Architectural Digest,[15] Angeleno, Sleek,[16] Metal Magazine,[17] Flaunt,[18] ArtNet,[19] Huffington Post,[20] Cool Hunting,[21] Santa Barbara Magazine,[22] Huffington Post,[23][24] Lum Art Magazine,[25] Carla[26] and Elephant.[27]

Exhibition history

2025

  • as worldly doubts are cast away, Compound, Long Beach, CA[28]
  • the wind is heavy which blows between a horse’s ears, Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA[29]

2023

  • a forest of thoughts in quick succession, Praz Delavallade, Los Angeles, CA[30]
  • Storage Wars, The Hole, Los Angeles[31]
  • We Are They: Glitch Ecology and the Thickness of Now, Honor Fraser, Los Angeles, CA[32]
  • (Probably) All in My Mind, Verse, London, U.K.[33]
  • For Zoe Leonard: A Performance, Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara (MCASB), Santa Barbara, CA[34]

2022

  • departed for the curve, Praz Delavallade, Los Angeles, CA[35]
  • to join the larger raindrop of the world, Yeo Workshop, Singapore[36]
  • The Medium as the Message, Wende Museum, Los Angeles, CA[37]

2021

  • Threads and Tensions: The Interconnected World, Yeo Workshop, Singapore[38]
  • Freestate, El Segundo Museum of Art (ESMoA), El Segundo, CA[39]

2020

  • Show Me the Signs, Blum & Poe, Los Angeles, CA[40]
  • Year One, Ojai Institute, Ojai, CA[41]
  • owls stirred the silence here and there, Pluto Projects, Los Angeles, CA[42]

2019

  • The Edge of Light, Huntington Beach Art Center, Huntington Beach, CA[43]
  • Smoke & Mirrors, AF Projects, Los Angeles, CA[44]
  • the blue water was only a heavier and darker air, Peter Blake Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA[45]
  • the trees turned to shadows in a grey fog, There-There, Los Angeles, CA[46]

2018

  • A Matter of Course, The Guggenheim Gallery at Chapman University, Orange, CA[47]
  • As You Like It - C’est Comme Vous Voulez, Praz Delavallade, Los Angeles, CA[48]

2017

  • the windward side off the island, MAMA, Berlin, Germany[49]
  • elsegundissimo, El Segundo Museum of Art, El Segundo, CA[50]

2016

  • for a moment the concrete felt soft and warm, AiOP, New York, NY[51]
  • for a moment, it scraped, then cooled, the feet, LAXART, Los Angeles, CA[52]
  • Rob Pruitt's Flea Market, Los Angeles Nomadic Division (LAND), Los Angeles, CA[53]
  • the nature of breathing in salt, MAMA, Los Angeles, CA[54]

2015

  • are the green fields gone, the high seas[55]
  • a moment near the sea, MAMA + ARTed House, East Hampton, NY[56]

2014

  • Erection, MAMA, Los Angeles, CA[57]
  • International Friendship Exhibition, Primary, Miami, FL[58]
  • Home, El Segundo Museum of Art, El Segundo, CA[59]

2013

  • Art Works, e105 Gallery, Berlin, Germany
  • a moment in the sun, ARTed House, Wainscott, NY[60]
  • all his strength was concentrated in his fists, including the very strength that held him upright, David B. Smith Gallery, Denver, CO[61]

2012

  • you'll miss your riding lesson tomorrow, Primary Projects, Caruso Art and Flaunt Magazine, Miami, FL[62]
  • Perpetual Conceptual: Echoes of Eugenia Butler, Los Angeles Nomadic Division (LAND), Los Angeles, CA[63]
  • All in for the 99%, Ace Museum, Los Angeles, CA[64]
  • Salon de Notre Societe, Primary Projects, Miami, FL[65]
  • Group Exhibition, Deutsche Telekom (Detecon), Cologne, Germany
  • Group Exhibition, David B. Smith Gallery, Denver, CO[66]

2011

  • Here Lies Georges Wildenstein, Primary Projects, Miami, FL[67]
  • I was here for just a moment, David B. Smith Gallery, Denver, CO[68]

2010

  • One on One, Hochhaus Hansa (a Ruhr.2010 Museum), Dortmund, Germany[69]
  • 100 Artists See Satan, Grand Central Arts Center, Cal State Fullerton, Santa Ana, CA[70]
  • Group Exhibition, David B. Smith Gallery, Denver, CO[71]
  • Transparenz, Detecon (presented by e105 Gallery), Bonn, Germany

2009

  • and those who were dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music, American University Museum, Washington, DC[72]
  • New Works, Kinsey/DesForges, Culver City, CA[73]

Publications

  • the constitution, the free republic of california, 2021[74]
  • my first summer in the sierra, words by John Muir, imagery and design by Cole Sternberg, hat & beard press, 2021[75]
  • the nature of breathing in salt, hat & beard press, 2019[76]
  • the windward side of the island, MAMA, 2017
  • for a moment it scraped then cooled the skin, LAXART, 2016
  • all his strength was concentrated in his fists, including the very strength that held him upright, 2013
  • And those who were dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music, 2010, Chronicling the exhibition of the same name at the American University Museum
  • Cole Sternberg Paintings, 2008, Chronicling on canvas works from 2002–2008

References

  1. ^ Exclusive: An Interview With L.A. Artist Cole Sternberg, FlavorWire.com, July, 2009
  2. ^ Student Awardees, American.edu
  3. ^ Exclusive: An Interview With L.A. Artist Cole Sternberg, FlavorWire.com, July, 2009
  4. ^ LACMA Collection Database, 2018
  5. ^ The Distinct Californication of Paris Photo L.A., New York Times, T Magazine, May 2015
  6. ^ Cars as Canvas; Walls as Artwork, Wall Street Journal, July 2013
  7. ^ A Moment in the Sun, Whitewall Magazine, September, 2013
  8. ^ Cole Sternberg, Issue Magazine, January 2016
  9. ^ Live Long Enough to Live Forever, a Q&A with Cole Sternberg, Autre Magazine, May 2015
  10. ^ NYC Artist Portfolio, Hercules, April 2014
  11. ^ Colorado’s Best Places to See Art Right Now, Denver Post, February 2013
  12. ^ Primary Projects “International Friendship Exhibition”: American Kitsch, Miami New Times, December 2015
  13. ^ One of LA’s Most Fascinating and Rebellious Museums is in…El Segundo?, LA Weekly, January 2015
  14. ^ Cole Sternberg: “I was here for just a moment” at David B. Smith Gallery, Art Ltd., May 2011
  15. ^ Tour a Redesigned Prewar New York Apartment, Architectural Digest, May 2017
  16. ^ Cole Sternberg on the Link between Painting and the Environment, Sleek Magazine, June 2017
  17. ^ Cole Sternberg, the Sky, the Sea and Everything in Between, Metal Magazine, March 2016
  18. ^ Cole Sternberg, Candy Apple Grey Paint, Flaunt Magazine, October 2015
  19. ^ Cole Sternberg Artist News, ArtNet, January 2018
  20. ^ Artist Interview: Cole Sternberg, Huffington Post, November 2015
  21. ^ Artist Cole Sternberg’s Boat Voyage from Japan to Portland, Cool Hunting, January 2016
  22. ^ "Santa Barbara by Santa Barbara Magazine - Issuu". issuu.com. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  23. ^ "Artist Interview: Cole Sternberg". HuffPost. 2015-11-04. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  24. ^ "Cole Sternberg: The Content Is Bleeding Through". HuffPost. 2011-02-07. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  25. ^ "Year One • The Free Republic of California at CGBF". LUM. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  26. ^ "Cole Sternberg at El Segundo Museum of Art (ESMoA)". Carla. 2021-05-27. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  27. ^ 5 Questions with Cole Sternberg, Elephant Magazine, February 2016
  28. ^ "Compound Long Beach". Compound Long Beach. Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  29. ^ "Cole Sternberg: the wind is heavy which blows between a horse's ears – Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara". Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  30. ^ "Cole Sternberg: A forest of... | Exhibitions | MutualArt". www.mutualart.com. Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  31. ^ "Storage Wars". The Hole. Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  32. ^ "We Are They: Glitch Ecology and the Thickness of Now". HONOR FRASER. Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  33. ^ "(Probably) All in the Mind". Verse. Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  34. ^ "The Free Republic of California Activation – Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara". Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  35. ^ "Cole Sternberg - departed for the curve". PRAZ DELAVALLADE (in French). Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  36. ^ "Cole Sternberg: to join the larger raindrop of the ocean | 26 March - 14 May 2022 - Overview". Yeo Workshop. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  37. ^ "The Medium is the Message: Flags and Banners | Wende Museum". www.wendemuseum.org. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  38. ^ "Threads and Tensions | 16 January - 28 February 2021 - Overview". Yeo Workshop. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  39. ^ "FREESTATE". ESMoA. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  40. ^ "Show Me the Signs « Exhibitions « Blum & Poe". www.blumandpoe.com. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  41. ^ "Year One by Cole Sternberg". Ojai Institute Online. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  42. ^ "(20) COLE STERNBERG : OWLS STIRRED THE SILENCE HERE AND THERE : 5.23.20 — Pluto Projects". plutoprojects.space. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  43. ^ "The Edge of Light". Huntington Beach Art Center. Retrieved 2020-02-01.
  44. ^ "Smoke & Mirrors, Group Show, November 14 – January 26 2020 - Louise Alexander Gallery". Louise Alexander Gallery / AF Projects – Contemporary Art Gallery. Retrieved 2020-02-01.
  45. ^ "Cole Sternberg Solo Exhibition | the blue water was only a heavier and darker air | Peter Blake Gallery | Artsy". www.artsy.net. Retrieved 2020-02-01.
  46. ^ "Datebook: Paintings of sport and art inspired by convenience stores and confession". Los Angeles Times. 2019-01-31. Retrieved 2020-02-01.
  47. ^ "A Matter of Course » Guggenheim Gallery at Chapman University". guggenheimgallery.org. Retrieved 2020-02-01.
  48. ^ "C'est Comme Vous Voulez". frenchculture.org. Retrieved 2020-02-01.
  49. ^ Berlin Art Link, May 2017
  50. ^ El Segundo Museum of Art, Virtual Exhibition, March 2017
  51. ^ AiOP Archive, September, 2016
  52. ^ LAXART Event Archive, March, 2016
  53. ^ Great Moments from Rob Pruitt’s Flea Market, Carly Eiseman, February 2016
  54. ^ Cole Sternberg Goes Under the Sea to Find His Art, Flaunt Magazine, April 2016
  55. ^ Are the Green Fields Gone?, Official Website, 2018
  56. ^ Cole Sternberg’s Arted House is Now on View in the Hamptons, Autre Magazine, May 2015
  57. ^ Artist Cole Sternberg at MAMA Gallery in Los Angeles, Autre Magazine, December 2014
  58. ^ Primary Projects’ “International Friendship Exhibition”: American Kitsch Glorified, Miami New Times, December 2014
  59. ^ On View: Home is Where the Art is At, The Architects Newspaper, December 2014
  60. ^ A Moment in the Sun, Whitewall Magazine, September 2013
  61. ^ David B. Smith Gallery Exhibition Announcement, March 2013
  62. ^ Cole Sternberg’s you'll miss your riding lesson tomorrow set for 12/7, Broadway World, December 2012
  63. ^ Los Angeles Nomadic Division Exhibition Announcement, March 2012
  64. ^ All in for the 99% Exhibition Announcement, March 2012
  65. ^ "Primary Projects Exhibition Announcement, December 2012". Archived from the original on 2013-11-12. Retrieved 2013-10-23.
  66. ^ Exhibition Announcement, Denver Arts, February 2012
  67. ^ "Primary Projects Exhibition Announcement, December 2011". Archived from the original on 2012-09-17. Retrieved 2013-10-23.
  68. ^ Cole Sternberg, I was here for just a moment, Leanne Goebel, Exhibition Essay, April 2011
  69. ^ Cole Sternberg Featured at Hochhaus Hansa, The Art Reserve, October 2010
  70. ^ Artistic License, Inside CSFU, June 2010
  71. ^ Group Exhibition Part 2, Arrested Motion, March 2010
  72. ^ American University Museum Exhibition Announcement, December 2009
  73. ^ New Works, Just Kinsey/DesForges, Culver City, CA
  74. ^ "the constitution of the free republic of california". The Free Republic of California. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  75. ^ "My First Summer in the Sierra". Hat & Beard Press. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  76. ^ "The Nature of Breathing in Salt". Hat & Beard Press. Retrieved 2020-02-01.