Born in
Holdfast, Saskatchewan, Thauberger received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1971 from the
University of Saskatchewan (Regina campus) where he studied with
David Gilhooly in ceramics. Gilhooly served as an early mentor to him as well as other artists of the region. In 1972, Thauberger received a master's degree in Art from
California State University, Sacramento. He also received a Master of Fine Arts from the
University of Montana in 1973. He actually had no formal training as a painter, but turned an interest in folk art (he curated exhibitions and contributing to documentaries and art books about folk art) The approach in his deadpan images of local architecture and landscape appropriated from sources like postcards, television or magazines is satirical. In 1988, the
MacKenzie Art Gallery in Regina surveyed his work of the last decade. In 2015, the
Mendel Art Gallery in Saskatoon and MacKenzie Art Gallery collaborated in organizing a comprehensive overview of his work curated by Sandra Fraser for the Mendel, and Timothy Long for the MacKenzie, titled "David Thauberger: Road Trips and Other Diversions". The show had an extensive tour across Canada. In 2023, Thauberger exhibited
Endless Summer at Slate Fine Art Gallery in Regina. Among his major commissions are postage stamp designs for
Canada Post (1982, 1992), a mural for a Cineplex Odeon theatre (Richmond, Virginia, 1987), and a mural for
Via Rail Canada (for inside a train which criss-crossed the country in 1988). Thauberger's work is in major public collections including the
National Gallery of Canada, Art Gallery of Ontario,
Art Gallery of Hamilton,
Winnipeg Art Gallery, and others. His papers are in the Library of the
University of Regina. ==Honours==