DAN SABAU WAS BORN IN ROMANIA IN 1977. IN 1984, AT THE AGE OF 7, HE AND HIS FAMILY FLED THE REIGN OF COMMUNIST LEADER, NICOLI CEAUSESCU, TO CLEVELAND, OH. HAVING ALWAYS BEEN DRAWN TO APPRECIATING FINE ART SINCE HIS TEENAGE YEARS, SABAU WAS ENCOURAGED TO BEGIN TAKING FIGURE DRAWING CLASSES AT THE AGE OF 17. IN 1996, SABAU ATTENDED A 3 YEAR INTENSIVE FOUNDATION PROGRAM AT THE CLEVELAND INSTITUTE OF ART (CIA). IN 2000, WHILE STILL CONTINUING HIS TRAINING, HE SPENT 6 MONTHS IN AN INDEPENDENT STUDIO PROGRAM IN NEW YORK CITY WHICH FOCUSED ON RESEARCH, EXHIBITIONS AND COLLABORATIONS WITH OTHER ARTISTS. SABAU GRADUATED FROM CIA WITH A BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS IN PAINTING AND A MINOR IN SCULPTURE IN 2001.

KNOWN FOR PRIMARILY WORKING IN PORTRAITURE, HIS COMMISSIONED WORKS ARE NORMALLY COMPOSED IN OILS BUT HIS MOST RECENT BODY OF WORK IS IN WATERCOLOR, A MEDIUM HE HAS BEEN WORKING WITH FOR THE LAST 6 TO 7 YEARS. SABAU ENJOYS EXPLORING WITH THIS MEDIUM DUE TO ITS UNPREDICTABILITY AND TENSION. ADDITIONALLY, HE APPRECIATES THE NATURE OF WATERCOLOR, BECAUSE HE MUST RELINQUISH HIS CONTROL OVER THE MEDIUM TO KEEP ITS INTEGRITY. SABAU IS INSPIRED BY THE IDEA OF RESTRAINT, LETTING GO AND ALSO THE TECHNIQUE, CONFIDENT BRUSHWORK AND PALETTE OF ARTISTS LIKE DIEGO VELAZQUEZ, JOHN OTTIS ADAMS AND JOHN SINGER SARGENT.

THE PSYCHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS AS HUMAN BEINGS IS THE SUBJECT SABAU OFTEN INVESTIGATES IN HIS PORTRAITURES. HE ADDRESSES CONCERNS OF UNCONVENTIONAL BEAUTY; SELF-DESTRUCTION; ILLUSTRATES OUR INTERNAL SENSATIONS OF DESIRE AND REPULSION; OUR ATTRACTION TO ANGUISH; AND THE LIFE CYCLE OF DEATH AND REBIRTH. THE SUBJECT OF SABAU’S WORKS ARE OFTEN INSPIRED BY FRIENDS, RANDOM PEOPLE HE MEETS AND THE STRIKINGLY GROTESQUE WORKS OF FRANCIS BACON, MARLENE DUMAS AND JENNY SAVILLE.

SABAU HAS EXHIBITED EXTENSIVELY AROUND NEW YORK INCLUDING AT THE SENSEI GALLERY, FOUNDATION ART FAIR, YES GALLERY, CASA MAZCAL GALLERY, LEROY NEIMAN GALLERY, TOWER RECORDS GALLERY, KOCH GALLERY, AND 313 GALLERY; NADA AT MIAMI BASIL, MIAMI, FL; FERAL GALLERY, SANTA FE, NM; AND GRINNING BIRD GALLERY, CLEVELAND, OH. 20 OF HIS PIECES WERE FEATURED IN THE AWARD WINNING INDEPENDENT SUNDANCE FILM, HAPPYTHANKYOUMOREPLEASE (2010). AND PRIVATE COLLECTORS INCLUDE TOBEY MAGUIRE, SHANE MACGOWEN, BARBARA AND IRWIN WEINBERG, MAURICIO EZQUANAZI AND SEBASTIAN CLAYTON.

DAN SABAU CURRENTLY LIVES AND WORKS IN BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.