Trevor Paglen — Biography, Exhibitions, Galleries & Auction Results

palette

Selected Works50

Museum Acquisitions

15 Institutions

Whitney

MoMA

Met

NGA Washington

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

SFMOMA

Cleveland Museum of Art

Milwaukee Art Museum

Amon Carter Museum

Pompidou

Previous Sales 9

Christie's

Discarded Rocket Body Approaching the Disk of the Moon (SL-8 R/B), 2012

$43,750

Nov 2021

Christie's

CLOUD # 135 Hough Lines, 2019

$7,648

Jul 2024

Christie's

Untitled (Reaper Drone), 2014

$17,345

Jul 2023

Sotheby's

Untitled (Reaper Drone), 2014

$8,820

Jul 2022

Sotheby's

Keyhole/Advanced Crystal in Hercules (Optical Reconnaissance Satellite, USA 116), 2008

$9,226

May 2022

Sotheby's

'Bloom (#79655d)', 2020

Bought In

Nov 2021

Sotheby's

Venus Flytrap (Corpus: American Predators) Adversarially Evolved Hallucination, 2017

Bought In

Sep 2021

Villa Grisebach

”La Crosse/onyx V Radar Imaging Reconnaissance Satellite Crossing the Disk of the Moon (USA 182)”, 2007

Bought In

Jun 2023

Jessica Silverman · Artsy

Faces of ImageNet, 2022

No longer available

Interactive video installation

For Sale 7

Pace Gallery · Artsy

The Disasters, 2020

Inquire about availability

Pigment print

Pace Gallery · Artsy

Distracted Drivers, 2020

Inquire about availability

Pigment print

Dallas Collectors Club · Artsy

Bloom, 2021

Price on request

Dye sublimation print

Krakow Witkin Gallery · Artsy

View of Cygnus | Brute-Force k-Nearest Neighbors Matching of Scale-Invariant Feature Transform Descriptors, 2020

Price on request

Carbon print

Krakow Witkin Gallery · Artsy

View of the Moon | Scale-Invariant Feature Transform, 2020

Price on request

Carbon print

Krakow Witkin Gallery · Artsy

View of the Sun | Harris Corner Detector, 2020

Price on request

Carbon print

Pace Gallery · Artsy

Bloom (#7f595e), 2020

Inquire about availability

Dye sublimation print

price_check

Market14 auction results

trending_upPhotographs Range

$8.8K – $43.8K

4 of 5 photographs lots with prices

calculatePhotographs Average

$19.8K

Object-type specific

show_chartPhotographs Median

$13.3K

4 priced photographs lots

calendar_todayLast Photographs Sale

Jul 2023 · $17.3K

Latest tracked sale in this object type

categoryMarket by Object Type

Photographs: $13.3K medianUnclassified lots: $7.6K median

gavelTop Auction Houses

Sotheby'sChristie'sVilla Grisebach

storefront

Galleries2

#4 Pace

Instagram

#45 Jessica Silverman

Instagram

emoji_events

Prizes & Awards3

MacArthur Fellowship

Winner 2017

Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize

Winner 2016

SECA Art Award

Winner 2008

podcasts

Podcast Interviews3

podcasts Re-Air: Why Artist Trevor Paglen Is Doing Everything He Can to Warn Humanity About Artificial Intelligence The Art Angle · Mar 12, 2021

In fall 2019, a new app called ImageNet Roulette was introduced to the world with what seemed like a simple, fun premise: snap a selfie, upload it to a database, and wait a few seconds for machine learning to tell you wh…

podcasts Why Artist Trevor Paglen Is Doing Everything He Can to Warn Humanity About Artificial Intelligence The Art Angle · Jun 12, 2020

In fall 2019, a new app called ImageNet Roulette was introduced to the world with what seemed like a simple, fun premise: snap a selfie, upload it to a database, and wait a few seconds for machine learning to tell you wh…

podcasts No. 381: Trevor Paglen, Bernardo Bellotto The Modern Art Notes Podcast · Feb 21, 2019

Episode No. 381 of The Modern Art Notes Podcast features artist Trevor Paglen and curator Nancy Edwards. From Friday, Feb. 22, the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego is presenting “Trevor Paglen: Sites Unseen,” a mid-c…

school

Education3

School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC)

Chicago, IL, USA

University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, CA, USA

University of California, Davis

Davis, CA, USA

menu_book

Publications3

Monograph 1

Trevor Paglen

Phaidon Press

Survey 2

Digital Art: 1960s–Now

Thames & Hudson · 2024

MirrorMirror: The Reflective Surface in Contemporary Art

Thames & Hudson · 2024

gallery_thumbnail

Current Exhibitions1

Palazzo Diedo

Strange Rules

Mat Dryhurst, Holly Herndon, Primavera De Filippi, Ayoung Kim, Agnieszka Kurant, Trevor Paglen, Ho Tzu Nyen

May 4, 2026 — Nov 22, 2026

Details

newspaper

Recent News20

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In a World of A.I. Slop, Trevor Paglen Is Confident in Digital Art’s Capacity to Be ‘Nutritious’

Trevor Paglen has been tapped to co-curate the inaugural edition of Zero10, Art Basel’s new digital art initiative, at Art Basel in Basel next week. T…

exhibitionsJun 12, 2026

The Future-Facing Institutional Exhibitions Not to Miss in Basel

The article highlights institutional exhibitions not to miss during Art Basel week in Basel, Switzerland, focusing on artists working in speculative, …

exhibitionsJun 12, 2026

Sandra Jackson-Dumont Wants Museums to Survive. Things Have to Change

Sandra Jackson-Dumont, director and CEO of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, discusses her career and vision for transforming museums in an interview…

peopleJun 9, 2026

New photography museum in Cincinnati foregrounds the medium’s democratic power

The FotoFocus Center, a new museum dedicated to photography, has opened in Cincinnati after over three years of construction. Designed by local archit…

exhibitionsJun 8, 2026

The Art World’s Quiet Embrace of A.I. Is Not Gender Neutral

Artnet News, in partnership with the Association of Women in the Arts (AWITA), published a series examining gender equity in the art world, including …

cultureJun 8, 2026

5 gallery founders on reinventing the art trade

Five leading gallerists, including Iwan Wirth of Hauser & Wirth and Jessica Silverman of Jessica Silverman, discuss a new initiative called Basel Excl…

marketJun 2, 2026

The Pope Asks You to Write Music

This press roundup covers several art-world stories. Musician FKA Twigs discusses her contribution to the Vatican Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, des…

newsMay 27, 2026

Gala Season! Shaggy and Jewel Hit the Whitney, Henry Taylor and Pharrell Toast Gordon Parks, and More Juicy Art-World Gossip

Artnet News' gossip column "Wet Paint" reports on the Whitney Museum's 2026 annual gala, a major fundraising event. The author describes the scene: do…

newsMay 26, 2026

The 21st Century’s Biggest Art Trend is Not a Style. But Once You See It, You’ll Notice It Everywhere.

The article traces the evolution of "systems art," a term coined by critic Jack Burnham in 1968 to describe art that uses rules, seriality, and repeti…

cultureMay 24, 2026

The Whitney Museum Raised $6.3 Million Last Night

The Whitney Museum of American Art raised $6.3 million at its annual benefit gala on Tuesday night, honoring artist Julie Mehretu, Board Chair Fern Ka…

exhibitionsMay 20, 2026

Guggenheim New York Announces Spring and Summer Public Programs

The Guggenheim New York has announced its spring and summer 2026 public programs, featuring a range of events including a performance lecture by LG Gu…

exhibitionsMay 19, 2026

Art in America’s Summer Issue Features 20 “New Talent” Artists, Juicy Art Heist Stories, and More

Art in America's Summer issue features 20 emerging artists in its annual "New Talent" portfolio, selected by the magazine's editors. The issue also in…

exhibitionsMay 19, 2026

Rare ‘Ocean Dream’ Diamond Sells for Record $17.3 Million at Christie’s

A rare 5.5-carat blue-green diamond known as the 'Ocean Dream' sold for $17.3 million at Christie’s Geneva jewelry sale, setting a record for a fancy …

newsMay 18, 2026

Holly Herndon and Mat Dryhurst on AI Optimism and Bringing Two-Headed Worms to Venice

Holly Herndon and Mat Dryhurst, known for their work in digital art and experimental music, have curated a group exhibition titled "Strange Rules" at …

exhibitionsMay 14, 2026

FAD News: Trevor Paglen to co-curate Zero 10 at Art Basel Basel 2026.

Art Basel 2026 has announced that artist Trevor Paglen will co-curate the latest edition of Zero 10, the fair's global initiative dedicated to digital…

exhibitionsMay 13, 2026

Michael Garner Explores Truth, Systems & Constructed Reality

Michael Garner, an artist with a background spanning social science and intelligence work, creates immersive works that blend science, espionage, phil…

cultureMay 13, 2026

Trevor Paglen Will Curate Art Basel’s ‘Zero 10’ Digital Initiative

Trevor Paglen, an artist and geographer known for exploring surveillance technology, has been named curator of the third edition of Art Basel's 'Zero …

exhibitionsMay 12, 2026

Art Basel announces Trevor Paglen as co-curator of Zero10’s Swiss edition

Art Basel has announced that artist Trevor Paglen and digital art strategist Eli Scheinman will co-curate the third edition of Zero10, the fair's init…

exhibitionsMay 12, 2026

Artist Trevor Paglen Will Curate the Swiss Edition of Art Basel’s Digital Art Sector

Artist Trevor Paglen will curate the third edition of "Zero 10," Art Basel's digital art sector, at the fair's Swiss edition from June 17–21. Major ga…

exhibitionsMay 12, 2026

Art Basel unveils Basel Exclusive and highlights for its flagship show

Art Basel has announced a new initiative called Basel Exclusive for its flagship fair in Basel, Switzerland, launching June 16, 2026. Participating ga…

exhibitionsMay 11, 2026

history

Past Exhibitions10

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#45 Jessica Silverman

The Horizon Waved, and Nothing Was Certain: 2006-2026

Trevor Paglen

Jan 8, 2026 — Feb 28, 2026

Details

#1,980 Fellowship

Evolved Hallucinations

Trevor Paglen

KT Paul Hall, 41 Fitzroy Square, London W1T 6AQ, UK

Oct 1, 2024 — Nov 26, 2024

Details

California Palace of the Legion of Honor

Ansel Adams in Our Time

Ansel Adams, Carleton Watkins, Eadweard Muybridge, Trevor Paglen, Will Wilson, Catherine Opie, Richard Misrach

100 34th Ave, San Francisco, CA 94121, USA

Jan 1, 2023

Ansel Adams in Our Time Apr 8 – Aug 6, 2023 de Young Exhibition

Details

#4 Pace

The Shape of Clouds

Trevor Paglen

540 W 25th St, New York, NY 10001, USA

Sep 4, 2019 — Oct 19, 2019

Details

Smithsonian Institution

Trevor Paglen: Sites Unseen

Trevor Paglen

Jun 21, 2018 — Jan 6, 2019

Trevor Paglen: Sites Unseen Artist Trevor Paglen’s work explores surveillance, state secrecy, data collection, and the ways in which technology is altering h...

Details

Smithsonian Institution

Trevor Paglen: Sites Unseen

Trevor Paglen

Jun 21, 2018 — Jan 6, 2019

Trevor Paglen: Sites Unseen Artist Trevor Paglen’s work explores surveillance, state secrecy, data collection, and the ways in which technology is altering h...

Details