Collection: Mark Tennant

Mark Tennant (born 1950) is a distinguished American painter known for his evocative depictions of contemporary life. His work masterfully captures fleeting moments with a striking balance between figuration and abstraction, employing bold brushstrokes and a cinematic sense of light and atmosphere. Often drawing inspiration from vintage photography, his paintings explore themes of nostalgia, memory, and human connection.

Tennant earned his BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art and an MFA from the New York Academy of Art. His career as an educator has been equally notable—he has taught at the Louvre in Paris, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, where he also served as Director of Graduate Fine Art Painting.

His work has been exhibited internationally, including at the Salon d’Automne in Paris, and in 2016, he was awarded First Prize in ModPortrait, with his winning piece now part of the permanent collection at the European Museum of Modern Art (MEAM) in Barcelona. Tennant’s ability to evoke raw emotion and atmosphere continues to make his paintings highly sought after by collectors and institutions worldwide.