Painting a Perfect World

Kenton Nelson was born in 1954 in Pasadena, California, and is today considered one of the most prominent figurative painters of the American West Coast. After studying at California State University in Long Beach and continuing his education at the Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, he initially worked for many years as an illustrator and graphic designer. Later, he taught at Otis College as well as at the Academy of Art in San Francisco before dedicating himself entirely to painting in the 1990s. Nelson's works are influenced by American idealism of the 1930s, the WPA painters, and the aesthetics of advertising and commercial graphics. His style is often described as "narrative idealism" – he creates scenes of everyday life that captivate through strong lighting, clear lines, and subtle tension. Thematically, he frequently addresses the ambivalence between external idyll and inner unrest. His works are reminiscent of the era between modernity and the post-war period. He has exhibited internationally and his works are held in important private and public collections, as well as in numerous corporate and private collections in the USA and Europe. Additionally, several of his paintings have been published as covers of The New Yorker, and his works are also present in film and architecture – for example in wall mosaics or film scenes such as in Something's Gotta Give (2003).