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