Donald Lipski was born in 1947 in Chicago. He earned his B.A. in 1970 from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and his M.F.A. in 1974 from Cranbrook Academy of Art, Michigan. Lipski has been the recipient of grants and awards from the National Endowment of the Arts in 1978, 1984 and 1990; the New York Foundation for the Arts in 1986; and the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation in 1988.

Donald Lipski is a sculptor known for his poetic combining and altering of existing things and for his enigmatic installation works. Since coming to prominence with his Museum of Modern Art installation Gathering Dust in 1979—thousands of tiny sculptures pinned to the walls—his work has been shown in galleries and museums around the world. He is represented in the permanent collections of dozens of museums, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Whitney Museum of American Art, The Menil Collection and The Chicago Art Institute. He has been written about extensively, and is included in the college text The History of Modern Art, by H. H. Arneson. In recent years he has also created many prominent and compelling public sculptures. He is represented by Galerie Lelong, New York, NY.

Pictured: Artist Donald Lipski installing “Hiding My Candy,” a piece consisting of thousands of books, Central Library. San Diego, CA.