BIOGRAPHY:

Thomas Andrew Darnell was born February 2, 1958 in San Antonio, Texas. One of nine children, he grew up in the nearby town of Grey Forest. His parents James and Mary had moved to Texas from the bayou country of southern Louisiana. Darnell graduated from John Marshall High School, Leon Valley, Texas in 1976. Afterwards, he majored in biology and fine art at the University of Texas (Austin) and graduated Magna Cum Laude.

He married Cheryl Parsons, a writer, in 1981 and the couple lived in Austin until her death in 1990 of cancer. This jarring loss was the catalyst for Thomas to re evaluate his own life and to pursue what he had always wanted to do: paint.

At 34, he left his job to “make his own little dent in the universe” as an artist. A potent combination of wanderlust and artistic yearning led him to set up a studio in Paris. He married Nicole Dufour, an Austin school teacher, and they lived across the street from Picasso’s old studio where “Guernica” was painted. Eventually they settled in the south of France and now have two children, Joseph and Ava.

Darnell has exhibited his work internationally in over 50 exhibitions during the past 20 years. His artwork is hard to categorise: dream like and mystical, classical and romantic, minimal and contemporary, photo realistic. The Spanish art critic Victoria Combalia writes, “Darnell’s paintings stand out for their poetic and mysterious quality. Painted with extreme manual dexterity and coming from the intellect for Turner or Blake…we have here refined and subtle work worth seeing.”

EXHIBITIONS

2017-2018

Chateau Cabezac, Cabezac, France

2015-2016

La Maison Bonnal, La Somail, France

2014-2015

Roberta Moore Fine Art, London, UK

Cat Street Gallery, Hong Kong

2013-2014

Espace Gibert Lezignan, France

Le Coin d’Art Gallery Olonzac, France

Affordable Art Fair Hampstead Roberta Moore Contemporary, UK

Affordable Art Fair Battersea Roberta Moore Contemporary,UK

2012-2013

Sacchetti Gallery, Ascona, Switzerland

AffordableArtFair Roberta Moore Contemporary, London, UK

Rapture, Roberta Moore Contemporary, Cheltenham, UK

2011-2012

Fine Art Asia (Cat Street Gallery), Hong Kong

KIAF (Galeria Fernando Alcolea), Seoul, Korea

Rarity Gallery, Mykonos, Greece

MOMAC, Roberta Moore Fine Art, Gloucester, UK

AHAF Mandarin Oriental (Galeria Fernando Alcolea), Hong Kong

L’abbaye de Caunes-Minervois, France

Roberta Moore Fine Art, London, UK

Cat Street Gallery, Hong Kong

TAKSU, Singapore

Le Coin d’Art, C.L.A.P. Galeries, Languedoc, France

2010-2011

Taksu Gallery group show, Singapore and Kuala Lamper

Roberta Moore Fine Art, London

Cat Street Gallery, Hong Kong

Galeria Jorge Alcolea, Madrid, Spain

Galeria Fernando Alcolea, Barcelona, Spain

2009-2010

Cat Street Gallery, Hong Kong

Spazio Gallery, Austin, TX, USA

Roberta Moore Fine Art, London

Taksu Gallery, Singapore and Kuala Lamper

2008-2009

Cat Street Gallery, Hong Kong China

HK08 Hong Kong Art Fair

Caldwell Collection, Nashville,TN

Spazio Gallery*, Austin, TX, USA

Roberta Moore Fine Arts*, London, England

Les Ecuries*, Cesseras, France

2007-2008

Cat Street Gallery*, Hong Kong China

Galeria Jorge Alcolea, Madrid Spain

Galeria Fernando Alcolea, Barcelona, Spain

Caldwell Collection, Nashville, TN, USA

Milan Art Fair, Milan, Italy

Spazio Gallery*, Austin, TX, USA

2006-2007

Christie’s, Terrence Higgins Trust Auction, London, England

Galeria Jorge Alcolea*, Madrid, Spain

NichollsWilson*, Albion Riverside, London, England

Galeria Fernando Alcolea*, Barcelona, Spain

Chateau Agel*, Agel, France

Cat Street Gallery, Hong Kong, China

2005-2006

SCOPE Art Fair, London, England

Spago, Milan, Italy

Galeria Jorge Alcolea*, Madrid, Spain

Galeria Fernando Alcolea*, Barcelona, Spain

2004-2005

Private Exhibition*, Hong Kong. China

Blanccanvas Gallery*, Atlanta, USA

Galeria Fernando Alcolea*, Barcelona and Madrid, Spain

2003-2004

Galeria Fernando Alcolea*, Barcelona and Madrid, Spain

Lowe Gallery, Atlanta, Los Angeles, USA

Caldwell Collection*, Nashville, USA

2002-2003

Europe Art Languages, Milan, Italy

Galeria Fernando Alcolea*, Barcelona and Madrid, Spain

Lowe Gallery, Atlanta, Los Angeles, USA

Caldwell Collection*, Nashville, USA

2001-2002

Lowe Gallery, Atlanta, USA

Galeria Fernando Alcolea*, Barcelona and Madrid, Spain

Caldwell Collection*, Nashville, USA

2000-2001

Chateau de Rully*, Rully, France

Gallery La Ruine*, Geneva, Switzerland

Lowe Gallery, Atlanta, USA

Galeria Fernando Alcolea*, Barcelona and Madrid, Spain

Vanderbilt Hospital*,Nashville, USA

American Prints, Milan, Italy*and Madrid, Spain

1999-2000

ARTEBA, International Art Fair, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Palais des Congres*, Grasse, France

Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, USA

Lowe Gallery, Atlanta, USA

Galeria Fernando Alcolea*, Barcelona, Spain

1998-1999

Turin Art Fair Galeria Fernando Alcolea, Turin, Italy

Abbaye de Fontfroid*, Narbonne, France

Eglise de Escales*, Escales, France

Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, USA

Lowe Gallery*, Atlanta, USA

Galeria Fernando Alcolea*, Barcelona, Spain

1997-1998

Lowe Gallery*, Atlanta, USA

Galeria Fernando Alcolea*, Barcelona, Spain

1996-1997

Kim Foster Gallery, New York City, USA

Galeria Fernando Alcolea*, Barcelona, Spain

1994-1995

Galerie de Temple*, Paris, France

Foster Peet Gallery, New York City, USA

* solo exhibition