David Hollowell (b. 1951) is a painter and educator whose figurative compositions combine illusionistic space, theatrical imagery and playful references to art history and popular culture. Born in Hornell, New York, he earned his B.F.A. from Ithaca College in 1973 and M.F.A. from Yale University in 1976. His paintings frequently depict elaborate architectural settings populated by family members, friends, artists and cultural figures, exploring the relationships between reality, fantasy and personal mythology. Hollowell taught painting and drawing at the University of California, Davis, where he contributed to the tradition of figurative painting for more than three decades and is now professor emeritus. Hollowell has exhibited extensively, including a 2026 New York exhibition, Hollowell Heaven, featuring paintings and drawings created between 1985 and 2005. His work is represented in the collections of the Yale University Art Gallery and Phoenix Art Museum.