David Stern was born on February 3, 1956, in Essen, West Germany and lives in New York City.

After an apprenticeship as a sign painter Stern attended the Dortmund Fachhochschule für Design and Art[1] (1975–79) and the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf (1980–82).

From 1987 on, Stern exhibited his work nationally and quickly entered the international scene in the early nineties, with shows in Austria, Hungary, the Netherlands, Belgium and Great Britain.

Since his arrival, he has been fascinated by his encounters with an intensely urban place defined by its energy, crowding, speed and cosmopolitism.

In addition to portraits of family members, he painted portraits of friends like the philosophers Günther Anders (1986/90) and Abraham Ehrlich (1990), the saxophonist Matze Schubert (1988), the artists Emil B. Hartwig (1990), Al Hansen (1993), Marvin Hayes and Frank Bara (2001/02) and William Wegman (2008), the football player Willis Crenshaw, the diplomats Berel Rodal (2002/03) and Ronald Fagan (1999), the author, screenwriter and poet Jeremy Larner (1999) the actress and therapist Doe Lang (2011/12), or the art critic and curator Karen Wilkin (1999).

"I regard my paintings as innumerably different shaped vessels, which contents are according to the observing individual's experience (including myself).

[8] Art historian Elizabeth Berkowitz speaks with David Stern about his series "At the Gates" on August 4, 2020.

[11] Art historian Eckhart Gillen speaks with David Stern about his series "The Sons of God" on December 17, 2020.